Plus: Manchester United are trying to push through a loan deal for the final member of the 'bomb squad' still at the club
Andre Onana is understood to have turned down offers from other clubs after being told he would be Manchester United’s No 1 goalkeeper this season.
The Cameroon international is on his way to north-eastern Turkey to undergo a medical ahead of a season-long loan to Trabzonspor, with United allowing the goalkeeper, who signed for £47m two years ago, to leave for nothing.
Should all the paperwork be completed ahead of the Turkish transfer deadline on Friday, Onana will sign a deal that will see him earn bonuses from Trabzonspor on top of his full wage.
The full salary will be covered by the Turkish club. He could then make his debut on Sunday against Fenerbahce.
It represents quite the turnaround for Onana, who ahead of the new season was informed, several sources have told The i Paper, that he would be the club’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Onana had offers from elsewhere and in fact turned down the chance to move to Monaco as he was under the impression he was at the forefront of coach Ruben Amorim’s plans.
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Errors have spelled the end of Onana’s United career – for one season at least (Photo: Reuters)
United had coveted a new goalkeeper from the start of the summer window, but it was understood that any new arrival would come in only to compete for a starting spot with Onana.
However, errors from both Onana and Altay Bayindir already this season have caused a rethink among senior figures at the club, with Senne Lammens signed from Royal Antwerp, hastening Onana’s exit.
Onana’s time at Old Trafford has been plagued with errors, the latest coming in United’s embarrassing Carabao Cup exit at Grimsby Town, with the troubled ‘keeper at fault for both of the League Two side’s goals.
Lammens was chosen ahead of Aston Villa’s more experienced Emiliano Martinez, with United feeling the Belgian is an exciting young goalkeeper with a bright future ahead.
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The 23-year-old could get the nod to start in Sunday’s Manchester derby, ahead of Bayindir, after the Turkish international’s inauspicious start to the season.
Onana is, however, not totally going to give up on his United career should the opportunity for reconciliation be offered at the end of his loan spell.
Regular football is important to Onana in the here and now with the Africa Cup of Nations coming up, while there is extra motivation to maximise his earnings to support his Andre Onana Foundation, and no Champions League football means no 25 per cent salary boost for the squad at United.
Another loan that United are trying to push through is one for the final member of the “bomb squad” still left standing – Tyrell Malacia.
The i Paper has been told Turkish Super Lig side Eyupspor have made a loan offer for the Dutch full-back, but the player at this stage is unsure whether he will accept the move. Both the Turkish and Saudi transfer windows close on Friday.