Andre Onana set to join Trabzonspor on season-long loan from Manchester United
Move follows United's signing of Senne Lammens and could signal the end of Onana's Old Trafford career
Andre Onana is close to leaving Manchester United on a season-long loan to Turkish club Trabzonspor, according to reports on Saturday.
Contact between United and Trabzonspor accelerated after United signed goalkeeper Senne Lammens from Antwerp for £21.7 million last week, and talks over a temporary move for the Cameroon international have progressed rapidly, Daily Mail Sport reported. Trabzonspor have been in the process of selling their own keeper, Ugurcan Cakir, to Galatasaray, creating space for a new arrival.
Sources close to Manchester United and to Onana had insisted earlier in the summer that the goalkeeper would remain at Old Trafford, but the club has told the player it would not stand in his way if he wished to move, the report said. An agreement between United and Trabzonspor is understood to be in place and Onana is expected to join the Turkish side before their transfer window closes on September 12.
Onana joined Manchester United from Inter Milan for about £47.2 million two years ago. His time at Old Trafford has been marked by inconsistency and a number of high-profile errors, which have contributed to debate over his long-term future at the club.
United's capture of Lammens has altered the club's goalkeeping landscape, presenting an alternative option for the first-team shirt. The rapid development of a deal with Trabzonspor suggests the club is prepared to move forward with its revised goalkeeper plans for the season.
If completed, the loan would give Onana the opportunity of regular first-team football in the Turkish Süper Lig while potentially allowing United to evaluate long-term options in goal. The move would also represent a significant shift for Onana, who had been United's primary goalkeeper in parts of the past two seasons.
All parties are expected to finalise paperwork before the Turkish transfer deadline. Neither Manchester United nor Trabzonspor had issued official confirmations at the time of the report.