Trabzonspor appear to be leading the race to sign Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana after the latest update from Turkey emerged today.
An Unsafe Pair of Hands
Onana, 29, has been relegated to the bench this season with Ruben Amorim ruthlessly displacing the Cameroonian from his starting eleven.
Turkey international Altay Bayindir has started each of the United’s three opening matches in the Premier League, with Onana’s sole appearance coming in the Carabao Cup clash with Grimsby Town.
And it was a match which demonstrated exactly
why Amorim has taken this decision, with Onana almost single-handedly helping the League Two side inflict a humiliating penalty shoot-out defeat on the Red Devils.
This error-strewn performance does not exist in isolation, however – far from it in fact.
Onana has been a constant source of angst since his £47.4 million capture from Inter Milan in 2023 to replace long-time stalwart, David De Gea, making inexplicable mistake after inexplicable mistake.
He has produced bouts of excellent form at times, but this Jekyll and Hyde approach is impossible for a defensive unit to be built upon. Stability is the key trait for any top goalkeeper – and Onana is the textbook definition of unstable.
Bayindir has hardly looked more steady in Onana’s place, however. The former Fenerbahce shot stopper gifted Arsenal all three points on the opening weekend of the season with an awful error, and he cut a shaky figure in subsequent matches against Fulham and Burnley.
This combination – of two Mr Hydes, rather than a friendly Dr Jekyll – led United to secure a deadline day raid to sign Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens, the highly-rated Belgium U-21 international with some of the best underlying statistics across Europe’s major leagues last season.
Lammens arrival, in combination with Amorim’s preference for Bayindir, has realistically relegated Onana to third choice at Old Trafford – a sharp fall from grace for a player considered one of the best in Europe at Inter Milan two years ago.
An exit is still possible
Throughout the summer, Onana’s intention was to remain at the Theatre of Dreams and fight for his place.
The landscape has quickly changed, however, and with the African Cup of Nations in the winter and the World Cup next summer, players are prioritising gametime on the pitch even more keenly.
Onana was linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League earlier in the summer, while a host of clubs in Turkey have also expressed interest. The transfer markets in both countries remain open, despite the September 1 deadline in England.
And it appears Trabzonspor are intent on signing Onana before Turkey’s window slams shut next week.
The Black Sea Storm, currently 2nd in the Super Lig, were offered the chance to sign the Cameroon international last week after they sold Uğurcan Çakır to Galatasaray, with talks opening.
Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu now reveals Trabzonspor have “increased its offer” for Onana.
🚨 Trabzonspor, Manchester United forması giyen Andre Onana için yaptığı teklifi artırdı!
— Yağız Sabuncuoğlu (@yagosabuncuoglu) September 6, 2025
Translated Tweet: “Trabzonspor has increased its offer for Andre Onana, who wears the Manchester United jersey!”
The transfer market in Turkey closes on Friday, giving United six more days to strike a deal for a player whose future at Old Trafford appears to be over, whether he chooses to accept it or not.
Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
