Man Utd massively ‘paid above valuation’ for transfer as ‘shocked’ Euro giants would’ve accepted ‘£6m’
According to reports, Manchester United significantly ‘paid above valuation’ to sign one of Erik ten Hag’s top targets in the summer.
The Premier League giants paid around £175m on signings during the 2023 summer transfer window as Rasmus Hojlund, Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat were among their marquee additions.
It was always going to be their priority to sign a new striker or two following the exit of Cristiano Ronaldo and they paid an initial fee in the region of £64m to land Hojlund.
Man Utd also needed to bring in a new goalkeeper after David De Gea left the club upon the expiry of his contract in the summer.
Having previously worked with him at Ajax, Ten Hag identified Onana as his top target and they managed to prize him away from Inter Milan. The potential total fee for the Cameroon international is around £47m.
Renowned as one of the better ball-playing goalkeepers in world football, Onana is an ideal fit for Ten Hag’s philosophy but he has been heavily scrutinised at the start of this season after making huge mistakes at vital moments.
Onana was sensational for Inter Milan last season as they reached the Champions League final but they needed to let him go as it’s been heavily reported in recent years that they are struggling financially.
Bryan King – a former scout for Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Aston Villa – has lifted the lid on talks he’s had with a member of the board at Inter Milan.
FEATURE: Man Utd 5-6 Spurs… Son, Romero absences gives two surprise Red Devils the nod in combined XI
King claims Man Utd ‘paid above valuation’ for Onana and Inter Milan were given a ‘huge shock’ when a large offer came in as they would have let him go for £6m.
“Ten Hag hasn’t given me any confidence that Man United are a side that can win the Premier League,” King said via Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast.
“That must come from the people he’s brought in.
“A friend of mine knows the sporting director at Inter Milan and they were prepared to let Onana go for about £6million. Then, all of a sudden, an email comes in offering over £50million for him.
“Of course, they’re not going to ask them to readjust their bid.”
At the start of December, Ten Hag moved to defend Onana, who is “doing well” despite his “mistakes”.
“If you analyse it well then you see he is the second-best goalkeeper in the Premier League based on stats, so his expected defending goals is the second best in the Premier League,” Ten Hag told reporters.
“He’s doing well. Also he knows that in the Champions League, he makes some mistakes but all over you see the first five months he is doing particularly well.”
