Earlier this month, TuttoMercatoWeb journalist Niccolò Ceccarini stated Chelsea could make a ‘concrete attempt’ to sign Inter Milan goalkeeper André Onana in the summer.
Édouard Mendy has lost the No.1 spot to Kepa Arrizabalaga this season and the latter hasn’t been able to impress regularly. This has seen the Blues look for a new stopper and Onana has been identified as the target.
According to InterLive.it, Chelsea ‘really want’ to sign the 27-year-old who has starred in his first season at the San Siro, keeping 19 clean sheets and conceding 30 goals from 38 games.
The west London club tried to please the Nerazzurri by including the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Trevoh Chalobah and even Mendy as part of a deal to sign Onana, but none of these options were grasped.
In order to ‘break’ the Serie A side’s resistance, Chelsea would have a ‘convenient solution in mind’. It’s said Todd Boehly ‘insists’ on using Mateo Kovačić to carry out a dry exchange deal involving him and the goalkeeper.
The midfielder has a deal until 2024 and is no longer part of the project at the Bridge. He was at the San Siro between 2013 and 2015 and is ‘still highly appreciated’ there. Despite this, Inter wouldn’t want this formula, also because they are keen to retain Onana.
Chelsea will have to find a new formula to convince Inter, if they wish to sign Onana in the summer.
