Erik ten Hag and Cristiano Ronaldo rarely saw eye to eye during their time together at Manchester United, but this summer their respective clubs share the same transfer target
Cristiano Ronaldo’sclub,Al-Nassr, have made an attempt to sign topManchester Unitedtransfer target Andre Onana.
With United goalkeeperDavid de Gea’sfuture still uncertainfollowing the expiry of his contract, the Red Devils have held talks withInter Milanover signing Onana, who bossErik ten Hagworked with while at former sideAjax. But asMirror Footballɾєρօɾτed last Saturday, the 27-year-old Cameroonianhas been deemed too expensive by United chiefs because of his £60million price tag.
Ten Hag only has limited funds to spєɴԀ this summer before player sales, with nearly half of the anticipated £120million he has available being splurged onChelseamidfielderMason Mount, whounderwent a medical on Monday. Cash-strapped Inter are keen to sell Onana, as they hope to finance a Ԁєɑł forRomelu Lukaku.
Their predicament has prompted Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr to enter the race, aiming to make Onanathe latest high-profile player to move to Saudi Arabia this summer. The Saudi club have confirmed their interest and the goalkeeper’s representatives were notified, as first ɾєρօɾτed by Italian publicationCalciomercato.
Al-Nassr signing Onana would see Ten Hag miss out on his first-choice target to replace De Gea, who remains in discussions with United over a new Ԁєɑł, but is edging closer to the exit door after 12 years.
However, despite the chance to be Ronaldo’s team-mate, Onana currently isn’t sure about a move to Saudi Arabia, having just enjoyed an outstanding season with the Nerazzurri.
Ronaldo and Ten Hag of course have history, as the pair fell out during the first half of last season which led to the Portuguese megastar swapping Manchester for the Saudi capital of Riyadh. In an infamous interview withPiers Morgan, days before the Red Devils took the decision to terminate his contract, Ronaldo claimed that Ten Hag and the United hierarchy were forcing him out.
“I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me,” the five-timeBallon d’Orwinner added. “If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never gonna have respect for you.”
There’d be even more bad blood between the pair if Ronaldo was able to convince Onana to become his team-mate, although Ten Hag already has a backup ρłɑɴ – two in fact.Eintracht Frankfurtgoalkeeper Kevin Trapp has emerged as a name on his shortlist, just likeFeyenoordshot-stopper Justin Bjlow.
Both would be a lot cheaper to sign than Onana and, as of now, are more attainable.
It’s added in the aforementioned ɾєρօɾτ that Red Devils officials recently met with their Inter counterparts in Ibiza, although they’re yet to lodge a formal offer due to theSerie Aside’s £60m valuation.
Ten Hag faces a race against time to find his No.1 goalkeeper for the 2023-24 season, with United’sPremier Leaguecampaign getting underway on Monday, August 14 at home toWolves.
