Andre Onana set for season-long loan to Trabzonspor as pay rises
Clubs have signed paperwork for the move, with Manchester United receiving no loan fee and no option to buy; Onana is with Cameroon for World Cup qualifying duty
Andre Onana is set to join Turkish side Trabzonspor on a season-long loan from Manchester United after both clubs signed documents to confirm the move, according to transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano. The deal is understood to include a substantial signing-on payment and bonuses that will significantly increase the goalkeeper’s wages, while Manchester United will not receive a loan fee and the agreement contains no option for a permanent transfer when the loan expires on June 30.
The 29-year-old Cameroonian goalkeeper has given his approval to the switch and is expected to travel to Turkey on Thursday as the Turkish transfer window closes this week. Onana is currently with the Cameroon national team during an international break and was in goal for their 3-0 win over Eswatini last Thursday.
Onana’s future at Old Trafford had been uncertain throughout the summer after United pursued reinforcements in goal and completed the signing of Senne Lammens from Antwerp in a reported £21.7 million deal last week. Despite earlier statements from sources close to the club and the player suggesting he would stay, Onana was reportedly told that Manchester United would not stand in his way if he sought a move away.
Contact was made with Trabzonspor, who were preparing to sell their goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir to Galatasaray. That sequence of events accelerated negotiations and led to a swift agreement ahead of Turkey’s deadline. Sources say Manchester United agreed to the loan without demanding a fee and accepted terms that ruled out a permanent transfer option.
Onana, who joined Manchester United from Inter Milan for a fee reported in the region of £47 million, struggled to establish himself as an undisputed first choice last season. The planned loan to Trabzonspor provides the goalkeeper an opportunity for regular first-team football and a fresh start in a competitive Turkish Süper Lig side.
The loan timing intersects with a crucial period for Cameroon, who face Cape Verde on Tuesday in World Cup qualifying. Cameroon sit second in their group, one point behind Cape Verde, and a victory would move them closer to automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Onana’s participation in that match would be central to Cameroon’s hopes of avoiding a playoff spot.
For Manchester United, the deal reduces immediate competition for the No. 1 spot and reflects the club’s recent recruitment in the goalkeeping department. The arrival of Lammens was billed as strengthening United’s long-term options, and the club appears willing to permit Onana to pursue regular minutes elsewhere.
Trabzonspor move quickly to replace Cakir if his sale to Galatasaray is completed, and adding a goalkeeper of Onana’s international experience would bolster their squad for domestic and European aspirations. With documents reportedly signed and international commitments to be fulfilled, the loan is expected to be finalised in the coming days.
The agreement runs for the 2025–26 season and, under the reported terms, Onana will return to Manchester United at the end of the loan without a clause allowing the Turkish club to make the transfer permanent. The move will be watched closely by supporters of all three clubs and by Cameroon as they pursue a key World Cup qualifying fixture.