Chelsea have been looking to strengthen their goalkeeping situation for some time, and the latest rumours suggest that they could be looking to Inter Milan’s Andre Onana as their solution. Reports from Foot Mercato indicate that the Blues are stepping up their interest in the Cameroon international goalkeeper with a view to making him their long-term number one.
Andre Onana joined Inter last summer on a free transfer from Ajax when his contract expired, and has since helped the Serie A giants win both the Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup. His form has been impressive throughout this season, so he is surely an attractive option for Mauricio Pochettino as he looks to bring in a reliable goalkeeper to replace Edouard Mendy or Kepa Arrizabalaga, who have both had spells as Chelsea’s first-choice this season but have failed to convince Pochettino of their consistency.
The speculation also suggests that Kepa could potentially make way for Onana if Chelsea are indeed successful in securing his services. The Spanish international only signed for Chelsea two years ago from Athletic Bilbao for a then-world record fee of £71m (€80m). Since then he has made 77 appearances for the club, but his form has been unreliable at times and it seems like it may be time for him to move on.
If an agreement can be reached between Chelsea and Inter Milan over Onana’s transfer fee, then we should expect to see him donning the iconic Chelsea jersey 2023-24 come next season. It will certainly be interesting to see how he fares in England considering his impressive performances so far in Italy. Of course, we will have to wait and see if such a move actually happens as all transfers remain subject to speculation until officially announced.
Regardless of whether this deal goes through, what is certain is that Pochettino will not settle for anything less than consistent performances between the sticks next season as he looks to take Chelsea back up amongst Europe’s elite clubs once again.