Man United Are About To Miss Out On One Of The Best Andre Onana Replacements

Manchester United have been actively working on signing a new goalkeeper this summer, as current starter Andre Onana’s days are numbered between the sticks at Old Trafford.

Although Onana was an asset to Manchester United overall in the 2023/24 despite his high-profile errors, the bottom fell out for the 29-year-old Cameroonian international last season.

Manchester United were 16th in the Premier League, missing out on European football entirely when they lost the Europa League Final to Tottenham Hotspur, and Onana’s issues were a big reason why United struggled so much defensively.

The starting goalkeeper allowed 1.29 goals per game with a save percentage of 68.9, comfortably placing him in the bottom half of starting goalkeepers in the Premier League.

Manchester United are tracking two main Onana alternatives

Although Manchester United have been eyeing Premier League standout Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa as their top potential replacement for Onana, they’ve also been interested in Torino star Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who quietly broke out as one of the best goalkeepers in Serie A last season.

But it looks like Milinkovic-Savic is about to be off the table, taking him away as an option for Manchester United in case they are unable to sign the veteran Dibu Martinez.

According to a report from Italian transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Napoli are currently involved in transfer negotiations for Milinkovic-Savic and could pay just 18 million euros for a goalkeeper who joined Michele Di Gregorio of Juventus and Inter Milan’s Yann Sommer as the best keeper in Italian football.

Napoli have been cleaning house this summer, signing Premier League legend Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City fame, and they also have other high-profile potential transfers in the works.

Andre Onana is clearly out of the picture

Meanwhile, Manchester United have brought in Matheus Cunha and are pursuing Bryan Mbeumo hard, but their biggest need, besides a striker to replace Rasmus Hojlund, is a keeper.

Losing out on Milinkovic-Savic to Napoli wouldn’t be an offseason ruiner by any means, but if Milinkovic-Savic does go to Naples, that means it becomes all the more important for Manchester United to bring in Martinez with one fewer – and cheaper – goalkeeper alternative off the board.

We’ll see if INEOS and Manchester United step up their interest in the Torino shot-stopper this summer as a result of Napoli’s heavy pursuit. But at this point, the only thing that’s clear is the fact that Man United have no interest in starting the 2025/26 Premier League season with Onana, a former Inter standout, as their starting goalkeeper.