Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana has been linked with a move to Chelsea but the player’s agent has dismissed the rumours.
Onana joined the Nerazzurri from AFC Ajax in the summer of 2022 and has helped the team become sturdy once again at the back. After a brief stint as backup to club captain Samir Handanovic, Onana has taken over the mantle as the club’s number 1.
His performances in goal have not gone unnoticed and he has been linked to many clubs in that time. Chelsea is the club he has been linked with the most but the Cameroonian’s agent has come out to debunk the news.
According to Albert Botines, Onana’s agent, the talk about Chelsea having made an approach for the former Barcelona youth is nothing but media speculation and his player is happy in Milan.
“Transfer market rumours are normal at this stage, but I prefer not to talk about it because it’s very early and now the boy is focused only on the pitch,” Botines told TVPLAY_CMIT. “We have a five-year contract with Inter. He has another four years on his contract and now he is focused only on the Serie A final and the Champions League final.
“He still has a long contract, don’t worry. He’s very happy, he’s playing for the strongest team in Italy.”
The move for Onana, meanwhile, has been given the greenlight by incoming Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Senegal international Edouard Mendy is reportedly on his last legs as Chelsea’s number 1 and the former Paris Saint-Germain manager is not willing to work with him next season. Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic is reportedly to be used in a swap deal with the Nerazzurri for Onana, who will come in to take Mendy’s place while Kepa Arrizabalaga continues to play backup.
It is believed that the inclusion of Kovacic in the deal will get Inter to loosen up to the deal as the Croatian was an important player for them between 2013 and 2015 before he moved to Real Madrid.
Mendy, on the other hand, is being looked at as an immediate short term replacement for Hugo Lloris at Tottenham Hotspur.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winning-captain is ending his 11-year association with Spurs in the summer, paving the way for a smooth transition which Mendy could choose to take advantage of given Pochettino’s stance on him.
It is unlikely, however, that Onana would leave Inter after one season but at 27 years old, there may not be enough time left for the Cameroonian to make a Premier League debut.
He has expressed a desire to represent a Premier League team in the past. He said it would be a great opportunity but that he would be even happier to gain enough success in Europe’s top five leagues.
He is now one of the strongest goalkeepers in the Serie A but his predecessor in between the sticks for the Nerazzurri rates AC Milan’s Mike Maignan ahead of him.
“They are both very strong,” Gianluca Pagliuca, former Inter goalkeeper, told Rai Radio 1 this week. “I still lean towards Maignan’s side, he has more experience but I have to say that Onana is having a very important season in his first year in Serie A.
“I didn’t think he would come out so soon, I thought [Samir] Handanovic would hold the place more, but then after a couple of matches like this [Simone] Inzaghi decided to focus on Onana and he did very well.
“But Maignan is currently one of the three strongest goalkeepers in the world.”
