Sport

André Onana to Manchester United deal ‘agreed’ with new keeper set to be unveiled ‘this week’

United's new no.1 is nearly here.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 17th July 2023

Manchester United have reportedly agreed a deal to finally sign Inter Milan goalkeeper André Onana after weeks of negotiating.

The Cameroonian keeper who currently plays in Serie A has been linked with Man United for some time and played under manager Erik ten Hag when the pair were both still at Ajax.

Known for his ability to play out from the back — something the Dutchman has been trying to install since he arrived at Old Trafford — United’s pursuit of Onana ramped up once club legend David de Gea announced his departure after 12 years.

Now, as per the likes of Fabrizio Romano and multiple other sources, a deal has been agreed between the two clubs and Onana is set to be officially announced as a Red Devil “later this week”.

Onana to United has finally been agreed, according to Mr. ‘Here We Go!’

Despite both parties going back and forth for several weeks now, the agreement was reached for an estimated fee of €50 million (£42.9m) plus a further €5m in add-ons, with Inter seemingly backing down after pushing for closer to €60 million.

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It is understood the deal will be on a five-year contract with an option to extend for a further year as Onana is set to become the first-choice keeper ahead of Dean Henderson, who many now believe will most likely leave the club after being passed over for the no.1 shirt yet again.

United are also said to be racing to get Onana’s visa sorted in time for him to be involved in at least some of their upcoming pre-season matches in America, the last of which is scheduled for 31 July against Borussia Dortmund.

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Much to the fans’ delight, the 27-year-old all but confirmed things on his own after he shared an image of himself seemingly undergoing his medical and was apparently pictured arriving at Inter’s training ground on Monday as he said goodbye to his teammates.

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Onana will be ten Hag’s second signing of the summer transfer window, having found acquired midfielder Mason Mount earlier this month, with the England and former Chelsea star being entrusted with the iconic no.7 shirt.

Once the deal is finalised — with personal terms not expected to be a problem — the club are thought be turning their attention to Danish youngster, Rasmus Højlund, who has been tipped by some as potentially “the next Haaland”.

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United have been looking for a new striker for some time and while the asking price for Harry Kane looks to have cooled their interest, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen still remains another possibility.

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Featured Image — André Onana/Manchester United (via Instagram)

Sport

Wayne Rooney joins the cast of Gary Neville’s The Overlap

Danny Jones Danny Jones Wayne Rooney joining The Overlap cast

Wayne Rooney has secured a new job just a few months on from departing as Birmingham City head coach, with the Manchester United and England legend being named as the latest member of The Overlap team.

Set to join the cast of the popular Stick to Football online series alongside the likes of former teammates Gary Neville and Roy Keane, as well as the rest of the recurring panel.

Rooney is also set to feature on various other shows across The Overlap channel, including the likes of their regular fan debates and other interviews with athletes and well-known figures.

They announced the signing in true transfer window fashion as well.

As transfer expert Fabrizio Romano quips in the video, Rooney “has signed an agreement with The Overlap” and is expected to make his debut very soon

‘Wazza’ has appeared as a pundit on Sky Sports in recent weeks and has even been spotted playing some FIFA with comedy YouTuber AngryGinge as part of his pro clubs series, but hasn’t been in a steady role since being sacked as the Birmingham manager at the start of the year.

Having already appeared as a guest in one of the most popular episodes of Stick to Football and clearly sharing a strong chemistry with his old friends – as well as the likes of fellow Scouser Jamie Carragher, Jill Scott and Ian Wright – it looks to be a natural fit for the sport-based channel.

The 38-year-old revealed some pretty interesting details about his playing and managerial career last time around, not to mention some of the other offers he’s had since…

Wayne Rooney confirms he has had offers to take part in a boxing match

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Rooney reiterated during his own interview that his primary focus is still on coaching and finding his next managerial role, but for the time being, he’ll be bringing the insight of another ex-pro to the popular YouTube channel.

Speaking on his latest move, the former striker said, “I’m excited to announce that I will be joining my good mate Gary Neville and the team at The Overlap to appear on the channel across some of their brilliant shows on YouTube and the podcast. I can’t wait to get started”.

With an episode from at least one of their series going out most weeks, you can expect to see the footballing legend back on the channel soon.

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Featured Images — The Overlap/Wayne Rooney (via Instagram)

Sport

Manchester City star Erling Haaland is now a playable character in Clash of Clans mobile game

Danny Jones Danny Jones Erling Haaland in Clash of Clans mobile game

In yet more proof that footballers just live in an entirely different world from us, Manchester City star Erling Haaland has popped up in the popular mobile game, Clash of Clans – and it’s not just a little cameo either.

Haaland‘s no stranger to the odd brand deal, so when we saw him cutting a promo for Clash of Clans we weren’t too surprised, but it’s safe to say we weren’t expecting to see footballers pop up in video games besides FIFA (sorry, EA FC) at any point this year.

The big number nine is not just a famous face to help push the already hugely popular mobile strategy and city-building game, they don’t need it; it turns out the lethal goalscorer is now going to be an actual playable character in the latest Clash of Clans update.

He even turned his hand to a bit of acting in the trailer:

As you can see, the 23-year-old stars in the new advert which sees troops appear in his home whilst he’s playing the game before being sucked into the game world.

Starring as the Barbarian King, he’s the first real person to ever feature in the game and will be available through a month-long football-themed seasonal event in-game.

When we stop and think about it, the Norwegian striker is pretty much a perfect fit given his Scandinavian heritage and the obvious Viking theme surrounding the franchise – not to mention the fact that he’s apparently been playing the game since he was 10.

He’s also been dropping a hint or two of late, in case you didn’t pick up on them.

why is erling haaland in clash of clans?
erling haaland character in clash of clans
Credit: Erling Haaland (via Instagram)

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Speaking on the collaboration, Haaland said: “I’ve been a huge fan of the game for a long time and know everything about it, so to appear as an in-game character is really cool”.

As for Finnish developer-publishers Supercell, CoC’s general manager Stuart McGaw said in an official announcement: “When we heard Erling Haaland was a fan of our game and that he wanted to partner with us, it was really a dream scenario.”

Haaland will be available to recruit in the game until 31 May, plus, if players raid his village and take down the Barbarian King himself, they can win additional rewards and a place on the leaderboards.

Weird but pretty cool, to be fair.

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Featured Images — Clash Of Clans/Supercell

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