Not Timber – Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag ‘targeting fourth Ajax reunion’ with £35m transfer upgrade
Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, has already signed two of his former Ajax players, Antony and Lisandro Martinez.
According to rumors in Italy, Manchester United manager Erik, ten Hag wants to reunite with former Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana at Old Trafford this summer. With his hiring, the Dutchman could now look to complete the next part of ‘putting the old band back together’ in the Premier League, having previously recruited Antony and Lisandro Martinez from the Eredivisie winners.
Ten Hag’s first signings after succeeding Ralf Rangnick were the South American duo, and he was also reunited with former Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek upon his arrival in the North West.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy, Ten Hag wants to buy Onana from Inter Milan this summer and believes a deal is extremely likely.
Despite only joining the club this summer, the Cameroon international is said to be worth over £35 million.
Onana is recognized for his stop-stopping and technical ability with his feet and was given a nine-month ban after testing positive for the prohibited chemical Furosemide during Ten Hag’s time in Holland.
With Inter still struggling financially, Onana represents an opportunity for the club to collect funds if a good offer is made this summer.
Although United is still negotiating a new contract with David de Gea, Onana is expected to be his long-term replacement at Old Trafford.
The former Ajax goalkeeper is used to rivalry, having risen over Samir Handanovic in the Inter hierarchy.
United’s goalkeeping situation has emerged as one of the few pressing issues Ten Hag must address during the summer transfer window.
While De Gea has improved, he is still prone to making mistakes, something United wishes to eliminate.
A number of other goalkeepers have been connected with moves to Old Trafford, including David Raya, Diogo Costa, Emiliano Martinez, and Yassine Bounou.
Nonetheless, Ten Hag’s previous friendship with the player appears to tip the scales in his favor if he wishes to pursue a transfer.
Speaking to Sky Sports, De Gea stated that his priority is to finish the season strongly in order to escape the outside noise.
“I’ve been here for a long time, loving every moment in this club and playing many games,” De Gea added.
“Of course, it’s fantastic to be here; it’s a large club that I adore, and I’m really pleased here.
“It’s been the same for years: there’s a lot of commotion surrounding the club, but players are only concerned about games, especially the one coming up on Sunday – a crucial game for us because we want to finish in the top four.
“As I said, we have a lot of games, so I think we have to be really focused on training, recuperating well, and helping the team, and that’s more important than contracts or anything.”
