Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is understood to be pushing for the club to seal the transfer of Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana.
However, Chelsea are also not necessarily out of the race yet, even if there is some caution over the Cameroon international’s price tag, sources have informed CaughtOffside.
Man Utd look ready to make a change from David de Gea this summer after the Spaniard’s dip in form, and Onana has worked his way up to being the firm first choice for Ten Hag.
The Red Devils boss is now urging club chiefs to make a concrete proposal for Onana this week, but Inter will only let their number one ‘keeper go for an acceptable offer, believed to be in the region of at least £50million.
CaughtOffside understands this has been deemed too expensive for Chelsea, with Mauricio Pochettino not entirely against sticking with Kepa Arrizabalaga as his number one for next season.
However, it has emerged that Chelsea and Inter could discuss Onana again in the coming days as they are expected to meet to discuss the Romelu Lukaku situation, which could open the door for conversations regarding other players.
It is understood that Chelsea could be open to doing a deal with Inter for Onana that would involve players moving in the other direction, but it remains to be seen if they will be able to come to an agreement in their upcoming round of talks.
This could put United in a stronger position for the time being, while Ten Hag’s past connection with Onana during their Ajax days could also be a factor in the Manchester side’s favour.
As well as doubts over De Gea’s future, Dean Henderson is also expected to leave Old Trafford this summer.
If a big name like Onana can be secured, it could be a crucial step for Ten Hag as he looks to get this team more accomplished at playing out from the back, which has been a weak point in De Gea’s game, despite his legendary status at United.
As previously revealed, De Gea has been weighing up an offer from Saudi Arabia, but a final decision is yet to be made on a potential move.