Manchester United close to offloading Andre Onana in fresh Trabzonspor loan
Andre Onana is on the brink of rejoining Trabzonspor on loan, with Manchester United moving on the 47m-pound goalkeeper after Michael Carrick made clear he is not in his plans.
Manchester United are closing in on offloading goalkeeper Andre Onana, with the Cameroon international on the brink of rejoining Trabzonspor on a fresh loan. It is the latest step in moving on a player who arrived with huge expectations but never recovered from a difficult start at Old Trafford.
Onana, a 47 million pound signing from Inter Milan three years ago, was shipped out last summer after a calamitous spell in goal, spending the season on loan at the Turkish club. That deal expired at the end of the campaign, and although he was scheduled to return to Carrington for pre-season, he had already been told he is not part of Michael Carrick's plans.
Talks have now advanced for a second spell at Trabzonspor, with United understood to be in line for a loan fee in a deal that does not currently include an option to buy. For a club keen to trim its wage bill and move on players outside the manager's thinking, getting Onana out the door early is sensible business.
His time in Turkey was, by contrast, a success. Onana made 33 appearances last season and helped Trabzonspor win the Turkish Cup, rebuilding some of the standing that had taken such a battering in England. A return to a club where he is wanted and plays regularly suits the goalkeeper as much as it suits United.
The bigger picture at Old Trafford is that the goalkeeping situation has moved on without him. Onana arrived tasked with succeeding David de Gea as the long-term number one, but that role now belongs to Senne Lammens, who joined from Royal Antwerp last summer and enjoyed a superb debut Premier League season. With Lammens established, there is simply no route back for Onana.
United are now focused on adding a new backup, with last season's number two Altay Bayindir also expected to depart. Several names have been linked, including Leeds' Karl Darlow, Wolves' Sam Johnstone and Nottingham Forest's Angus Gunn, who is available on a free transfer. The club also have the highly rated Radek Vitek on their books after an impressive loan, though he too may leave in search of regular football.
It all points to a clean reset between the posts. A signing once meant to define an era instead became a cautionary tale, and his exit closes a chapter United will be glad to move past as they reshape the squad under Carrick.
With terms close, the move could be completed quickly, removing a high earner from the books and clearing the path for the club's goalkeeping rebuild. For more on United's summer business, follow the latest football news.