Manchester United’s overspending has come under fire in recent years, and the comments of former senior scout Bryan King have only amplified the issue further at Old Trafford. He claims that the Red Devils paid £44million more than they needed to when acquiring the services of Andre Onana during the summer transfer window.
United have endured a shaky start to the season, with serious questions being raised about their recruitment as a result. The mammoth fees forked out on Antony, Rasmus Hojlund and Casemiro have not borne fruit, leading to Erik ten Hag’s transfer department to come under fire.
The signing of Onana has also been a major talking point at the Theater of Dreams this season as well, with the Cameroon international struggling to find his form in the Premier League. The goalkeeper has made several costly errors since joining United, leading some to debate why he was considered the ideal successor of David De Gea.
Ten Hag was insistent on signing Onana though, having worked with the 27-year-old at Ajax and been impressed by his willingness to play out from the back. However, the club did not need to fork out a whopping £50m to sign the goalkeeper it has emerged, as ex-Tottenham scout King has revealed that Inter Milan would have entertained an offer of just £6m.
He told the Inside Track podcast: “Ten Hag hasn’t given me any confidence that Man United is a side that can win the Premier League. 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.”
Onana will head to the Africa Cup of Nations this week, and it remains to be seen whether his absence is felt by United or whether fellow summer signing Altay Bayindir can slot in seamlessly between the sticks.
The Turkey international was signed from Fenerbahce for a fee of approximately £4.3m to play second fiddle to Onana, and he is likely to be handed his debut by Ten Hag in the coming weeks. The 25-year-old made 26 appearances in the Super Lig last season, keeping nine clean sheets.