Have Manchester United agreed terms with André Onana? Mixed reports confuse fans

Manchester United fans are becoming confused as mixed reports suggest that André Onana has or has not agreed personal terms with the club.

André Onana is set to sign for Manchester United in the coming hours as Erik ten Hag secures his David de Gea replacement, with the Spaniard leaving the club after 12 years of service.

With an overall agreement in place for the goalkeeper to sign for around £43 million plus add-ons, Onana is expected to travel to Manchester in the coming days, with his announcement likely to come on Tuesday.

Read More: Former Man United starlet ‘burst out crying’ after being released by Sir Alex Ferguson

However, there have been mixed reports concerning André Onana’s agreement with United – has he, or has he not, agreed personal terms?

It has been said by Italian journalists Fabrizio Romano and Alfredo Pedulla that Onana has agreed on terms for a salary of £5.5-6m a season, with the contract set to be signed once he arrives in England.

Although, it has since been claimed by the Athletic that Onana is yet to agree on personal terms with the club, and will do so today… So which is true?

Pretty much, both are.

Official rules state that a club cannot open negotiations on personal terms with a player until they have had a bid accepted by their current club – so, officially, clubs cannot agree on terms with players until they have agreed on a transfer with the parent club of the player.

However, that does not stop clubs from having an agreement with the player through intermediaries and representatives, which is what often happens and is likely how the club reached an ‘agreement’ with Onana.

The reason clubs often go down this route is to help smooth the transition from agreeing on a fee to completing the signing, making the signing process as efficient as possible each time.

It allows the club to stay within the rules as they don’t officially agree on personal terms until after a fee has been agreed upon, but also allows the club to quickly confirm these personal terms so that the time it takes from agreeing upon a fee to getting the player through the door and training is minimal.

In Onana’s case, Inter and United are expected to officially finalise their agreement for Onana today (Sunday), and medical/personal terms will be completed by Tuesday, which is when United are planning to put together the announcement for Onana.