Chelsea are battling Manchester United for the signing of Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana this summer, according to a fresh transfer rumour.
Could Onana leave Inter Milan this summer?
The Blues struggles this season have been well-documented, with the west Londoners currently sitting in the bottom-half of the Premier League in early May – something that seemed unfathomable at the start of the season. There have been various reasons for Chelsea issues, from managers underperforming to individuals also not pulling their weight on the pitch, and the goalkeeping situation certainly hasn't helped.
Both Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy have fallen short of the standards they have set in the past and it could be that the club look to sign an upgrade once the summer window arrives. One player who has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge is Onana, who was once at Ajax, reaching the Champions League semi-finals with them back in 2019.
He is now at Inter Milan and is preparing for another big European semi-final against AC Milan, having made 21 appearances in Serie A this season, as well as 10 in the Champions League itself. He is contracted to his current club until 2027, but a new update suggests that he may be prised away long before then.
Are Chelsea in the race to sign Onana?
According to Tuttosport [via Sport Witness], Inter are actually willing to sell Onana this season, with Guglielmo Vicario viewed as his replacement. Chelsea and United are both thought to be keen on acquiring the Cameroonian's signature, with the 27-year-old "in the sights" of the two Premier League clubs.
Inter want to "monetise" the situation and get as much for the player as possible at this point in his career – they only "intend to start" the bidding at €50m (£43.8m).
Onana could be a strong signing by Chelsea in the summer, with the 34-cap Cameroon international someone who has a wealth of experience at the top level now, but is also young enough to stay there for many years to come. He has been lauded as "excellent" and "brilliant" by fellow Serie A 'keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic in the recent past and his pedigree in the Champions League speaks for itself.
Granted, the fact that Inter are so willing to sell may raise some concern from Blues supporters, but the fact that he has been a key man for a team about to embark on a Champions League semi-final, having done so for Ajax as well, shows that he is player of high quality.