Rio Ferdinand has branded Andre Onana as a 'top-class' goalkeeper ahead of the summer transfer window. The Inter Milan shot-stopper has been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea recently, with question marks over the futures of Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy.
The Blues duo both face increasingly uncertain futures at the club. Despite showing glimpses of great promise, Kepa has struggled between the sticks this season with Mendy watching on from the sidelines.
With the west Londoners in the market for new goalkeeper, Onana has been reportedly identified as target. In fact, according to The Telegraph, Chelsea are in 'pole position' to sign the 27-year-old.
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And, Ferdinand believes that Onana would be a great signing for Manchester United. Speaking on BT Sport after Inter Milan booked themselves a place in the Champions league final, the former Red Devils defender said: "Modern-day goalkeeper – he’s top class.
"He takes the ball under pressure, doesn’t panic, and brings the other team onto him, which creates space around that. He plays over or through the press. He was fabulous tonight in doing that."
According to various reports, Inter currently value Onana at €50 million (£43.4m) which is said to be considered too high by Chelsea. The Cameroon star would certainly be an upgrade on both Kepa and Mendy, though the Blues must decide whether or not his valuation is affordable or not.
In April, Gary Neville claimed that the west Londoners are just two signings away from challenging for the Premier League title again – a striker and a goalkeeper. Speaking on The Overlap, the former United right-back said: "Obviously they’re short. They’re short of a manager, they’re short of a centre-forward. I think the goalkeeper could be better.
"But I just thought when I was watching them [against Liverpool], Wesley Fofana the centre-back I thought was fantastic, they’ve got Benoit Badiashile on the bench, Kalidou Koulibaly is obviously a half-decent defender and the two full-backs have got the ability – if they stay fit – to be the best in Ben Chilwell and Reece James.
"I thought the midfield three of Enzo Fernandez, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante, behind Manchester City’s of Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan, probably the best midfield as a three I’ve seen all season. They were fantastic as a three.
"And then you’ve got Joao Felix and Kai Havertz – now if you put a centre-forward in there… They had Mason Mount on the bench, they had Raheem Sterling on the bench, they had loads of others on the bench. Thiago Silva to come back.
"I thought, if you put a proper manager there and you get a couple of decent signings, are they nearer [to the Premier League title] than maybe Manchester United are? When you look at Manchester United’s midfield, Marcel Sabitzer, Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes – obviously Casemiro has got to come back in.
"Manchester United need a centre-forward, they need definitely some full-backs and a centre-half as well. So you’re looking at it and thinking, who is actually nearer? Liverpool look a million miles away at the moment.
"Liverpool look like they need a little bit – a lot – of a rebuild. So I think Chelsea showed some promise [vs Liverpool], I thought they played pretty well in the game, they were by far the better team.
"Obviously they’re well out of it at the moment, but they could be nearer than we all think when you look at some of the players they’ve got."
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