Inter keen on Arsenal target Onana with goalkeeper set to leave Ajax

Nizaar Kinsella

Inter keen on Arsenal target Onana with goalkeeper set to leave Ajax image

Inter have joined the race to sign Ajax's Andre Onana, who has less than 12 months left on his current contract.

Arsenal, Tottenham, Lyon and Borussia Dortmund have all shown an interest in the Cameroon international in the last few months, but a doping ban has scuppered any possible moves.

The ban has since been reduced on appeal allowing the 25-year-old to play from November, and the Dutch giants are aware they are set to lose the goalkeeper and now target earning a fee from a January sale.

What have Ajax said?

Director of Football Marc Overmars spoke about his side's former No 1: "You can never say never in football [about him renewing his contract], but at the moment I do not see that he extends his contract with us.

"We have been very clear. We have spent a lot of time negotiating to extend his contract, but it did not work. We then gave him the space to move during the summer and it did not work either. He can leave in January, otherwise he will leave for free next June."

Who could win the race?

Arsenal have signed goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale for £24m ($33m) from Bournemouth after opting against a player subject to a FIFA ban.

They may yet look to Onana again should they opt to push Bernd Leno out in the coming months. Meanwhile, Onana's agent Albert Botines has spoken publicly about a possible move to Lyon.

Equally, Dortmund and Tottenham have signed alternative options but Nuno Espirito Santo's side have only added Pierluigi Gollini on loan from Atalanta - albeit with an option to buy at the end of the season.

Onana was previously valued at around £15 million ($21m) but that price tag is likely to plummet in January with so little time left on his contract.

Although he is free to sign on a pre-contract ahead of a free transfer move in the summer from January 1, any club willing to pay a fee may steal a march to sign the shot stopper.

Further reading

Nizaar Kinsella

Nizaar Kinsella Photo

Nizaar Kinsella is a Chelsea correspondent with experience covering international football at the World Cup and European Championships. He is a trusted voice within the Chelsea community, attending almost every game and having spent many years doing so. Coverage on Goal.com has seen him invited onto CNN, BBC Radio 5 Live, TalkSport and BeINSports to comment on the turbulent world of the Stamford Bridge club. He previously worked for the Daily Mirror and BBC Radio Manchester, as well as a period working in the UK charity sector.