Inter CEO speaks out on shock Andre Onana return after boasting about Man Utd sale
Inter Milan CEO, Beppe Marotta, boasted about selling Andre Onana to Manchester United “for all that money”, and also addressed a potential return to the San Siro for the under-fire goalkeeper.
When it became apparent David de Gea’s limitations in possession were a deal-breaker for Erik ten Hag, Man Utd were always going to sign a new goalkeeper over the summer.
De Gea unceremoniously departed the club as a free agent and is yet to find a new home. Meanwhile, Onana has endured a torrid start to his United career following his transfer from Inter.
Onana cost an initial £43.8m that can rise to £47.2m pending add-ons. However, a series of costly handling errors have contributed to United’s poor start to the season.
To help ensure his United career picks up, ESPN recently claimed Onana could put club before country and refuse a call-up from Cameroon for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
Such a decision would mean United aren’t deprived of having their first choice goalkeeper available for selection for around a month in late January to early February.
In any case, if Onana’s form doesn’t improve it won’t be long before calls grow for Man Utd to sign another new goalkeeper in 2024.
While that’s a conversation for another time, Inter chief, Beppe Marotta, has left the door open for Onana to one day return to the San Siro.
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In quotes carried by Football Italia, Marotta was asked whether the 27-year-old could be re-signed by Inter.
“Anything can happen in football, even if those who return do not always have positive results,” said Marotta. “It was an important experience for him and for us.”
Inter replaced Onana with Swiss veteran Yann Sommer. The 34-year-old has kept the most clean sheets in Serie A so far this season (five), and is under contract until the summer of 2026.
As such, even if Onana were made available for transfer, Inter have no immediate need for the stopper at present.
Marotta then went on to label Onana’s sale to Man Utd a “very successful” deal. Given Onana was a free agent signing from Ajax in the summer of 2022, his £43.8m sale represented pure profit for the Italian giant.
Furthermore, Marotta’s comment about collecting “all that money” might raise an eyebrow or two at Old Trafford.
“It was also a very successful deal for us to get him for free and sell him for all that money,” added Marotta.
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