Saudi Pro League side to make first surprise move to sign Manchester United star: Reports

Modified Apr 13, 2025 05:52 GMT

Olympique Lyonnais v Manchester United - UEFA Europa League 2024/25 Quarter Final First Leg - Source: Getty

A Saudi Pro League club is reportedly interested in signing Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana in the summer transfer window. According to Tribal Football, the interest has risen amid Onana's uncertain future at Old Trafford due to his underwhelming performance in recent games.

The report also suggests that the Cameroonian goalkeeper will likely miss United's upcoming Premier League clash against Newcastle United on Sunday, April 13. Meanwhile, Italian transfer expert Nicola Schira has confirmed that one Saudi Arabian club is already in contact with the former Ajax Custodian.

Andre Onana joined the Red Devils from Inter Milan in July 2023 on a five-year deal with an option for another year. However, Onana has failed to live up to the expectations at Old Trafford and has also become the root of several controversies.

He recently made an error during Manchester United's first leg game against Lyon in the UEFA Europa League quarterfinal on Thursday, April 10. Due to Onana's mistakes leading up to goals, the match ended 2-2. With scores levelled, United will host the Ligue 1 giants at Old Trafford for the second leg on Thursday, April 17.

Before that, the Red Devils will visit St. James' Park to face Newcastle, where Altay Bayindir is expected to start over Onana. The Cameroonian custodian has played 43 games this season, keeping ten clean sheets and conceding 56 goals across all competitions.

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim's reaction to Andre Onana's performance against Lyon

After Manchester United played a 2-2 draw against Lyon in the first leg of the UEL quarterfinals, Ruben Amorin reflected on his opinion about Onana's mistakes. Amorin stated that the team should focus on the upcoming matches instead of staying stuck on the mistakes.

The former Sporting CP head coach said he would talk to United's goalkeeping coaches about Onana's issues and errors, which would help the 29-year-old improve. Amorin said:

"It's important to focus on the next game. The next game is the league, then we think about the second leg against Lyon. When one player has a mistake, every player has a mistake, so we continue like that."

He added:

"The best thing is to look at the goals and all the actions that Andre has had in the game and to talk with (goalkeeper coaches Jorge) Vital and Craig (Mawson). This is the best way to help any player - to focus on the game, what happened, what we need to improve and then put the player (in) again."

Apart from being in the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League quarterfinals, the Red Devils are 13th in the Premier League table with 38 points after 31 games.

About the author

Shashank is a journalist at Sportskeeda covering European football since the past 2 years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has also played the sport as a box-to-box midfielder and a full-back at national level, along with Tennis, Taekwondo and Boxing.

Shashank has been a Liverpool supporter since 2014 and had first stumbled upon the club after receiving a gift which had the words 'Liverpool FC' written on it. He has idolised Steven Gerrard over the years but his favorite football memory is the Reds' incredible comeback 4-0 win over Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semis. He, unsurprisingly, also loves Jurgen Klopp's managerial style.

He strives to report 100% accurate content by going through several social media platforms, and prides himself on his above-average vocabulary and researching skills. In his career so far, Shashank has had the privilege of interviewing Indian national football team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

Shashank also follows the Indian Super League and the Eredivisie along with European Football. In his off time, he likes to do theatre, watch Tennis, and travel.

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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer