Arsenal have been heavily linked with Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana, but Inter Milan are now ‘more than close’ to winning the race for him.
That’s according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, who has made the claim on his Twitch channel.
Romano claims Onana will be leaving Ajax when his contract ends in 2022.
Onana can sign a pre-contract agreement in January, and Romano believes he is more likely to join Inter than Arsenal.
“Onana will leave as a free agent next summer, and my feeling is that Inter are more than close,” said Romano. “It is not signed yet, but they are more than close. Let’s see if some other club will jump in the race,” he added.
Arsenal’s pursuit of Onana
Onana was touted for Arsenal for much of the summer.
NOS claimed in early June that Arsenal were favourites to sign Onana. Arsenal allegedly promised Onana a staring role if he joined.
Football.London reported in June that Inaki Cana had recommended Onana to Arsenal. The Gunners goalkeeping coach worked with Onana at Barcelona in his youth.
Everything went a little cold though. Arsenal signed Aaron Ramsdale instead, and he is now challenging Bernd Leno.
Adding Onana for free to compete with Ramsdale could make sense, but no longer seems likely.
What about Bernd Leno?
Earlier this month, Tuttosport claimed that Inter Milan were eyeing Arsenal stopper Leno.
Leno was viewed an alternative to Onana, with Inter exploring a cheap deal. The German’s Arsenal contract ends in 2023, meaning he is entering the final 18 months of his deal.
With Ramsdale brought in for relatively big money, Arsenal look to be planning for life after Leno.
Yet with Onana now more of a priority, Leno may find himself in a tricky position next summer.
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