After joining Manchester United for £47 million, Andre Onana became the third most expensive goalkeeper in history, following Kepa Arrizabalaga (£72 million) and Alisson Becker (£67 million), both of whose transfers took place in 2018.
Manchester United announced the signing of Andre Onana, who recently moved from Inter Milan. The Red Devils paid an initial fee of £43 million for the Cameroon international, with additional clauses bringing the total value to around £47 million, equivalent to €55 million.
This agreement makes Onana the third most expensive goalkeeper in football history. Only the world-record deal of £72 million that brought Kepa Arrizabalaga to Chelsea and Alisson Becker's £67 million move to Liverpool, both occurring in 2018, surpass the cost of Onana's transfer to Old Trafford.
As a result, Onana surpassed Thibaut Courtois, who moved from Chelsea to Real Madrid for £38 million, leaving him out of the top 3. The £35 million transfer of Ederson to Manchester City ranks fifth, while Gianluigi Buffon's £33 million move from Parma to Juventus in 2001 ranks sixth.
Alex Meret's £32 million transfer from Udinese to Napoli in 2018 occupies the seventh position. Two £31 million deals involving Barcelona, related to Jasper Cillessen's move to Valencia and Neto's arrival at Barcelona, rank eighth and ninth, respectively. Aaron Ramsdale and Jordan Pickford, both valued at £30 million and moving to Arsenal and Everton, rank tenth and eleventh. Francesco Toldo's £25 million move from Fiorentina to Inter in 2001 sits at twelfth place.
Fans may witness Onana wearing the Manchester United jersey for the first time in a friendly match against Arsenal on Saturday. If not, he will have to wait for the matches against Borussia Dortmund or Real Madrid later.
After joining MU, Onana decided to choose the number 24 jersey. Many fans question why he did not choose the vacant number 1 jersey, considering that De Gea has left Old Trafford. Though Onana has not made an official statement, it seems to be his preferred number, as he wore the number 24 jersey during his time at Inter and Ajax.
Following Onana's acquisition, Manchester United is likely to part ways with two goalkeepers, Matej Kovar and Dean Henderson. Kovar is likely to be loaned out, while Henderson may be sold to Nottingham Forest. This will leave Tom Heaton, 37 years old, as the only remaining backup goalkeeper at MU unless Ten Hag reaches an agreement to sign Urawa Reds' goalkeeper, Zion Suzuki.
