Andre Onana Loan Confirmed: What Man Utd Will Gain From New Deal

The goalkeeper has no place at Old Trafford following the emergence of Senne Lammens.

André Onana is heading on loan again. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

Manchester United goalkeeper André Onana will spend a second season on loan with Trabzonspor in Türkiye for the duration of 2026–27, which marks a firm display of faith in Senne Lammens.

Lammens arrived last September as a relative unknown after Onana had been dropped by Ruben Amorim, with the Belgian going on to win Premier League Transfer of the Season at the competition’s annual end of year awards last month.

There was never a realistic expectation that Onana would come back in to challenge Lammens for the starting spot, but the issue has been put to bed early, right at the start of the transfer window and before Onana would have awkwardly had to report for preseason next week.

He played 34 times for Trabzonspor last season, helping the club to glory in the Turkish Cup to mark a first trophy lift in four years. Trabzonspor also finished third in the Süper Lig table, bouncing back from a disappointing seventh place the season prior. That equated to Europa League qualification.

“Everyone at United wishes André the best of luck for the campaign ahead,” a short statement out of Old Trafford concluded on Friday.

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Onana Loan Fee, Salary Agreement

Trabzonspor saw enough last season to invite Onana back. | Ahmad Mora/Getty Images

According to Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United will bank a minor loan fee up to £1.3 million ($1.7 million) from Trabzonspor that will be dependent on Onana’s performances across 2026–27.

It is also only a very temporary arrangement, because there is said to be no option or obligation to buy included in the loan contract. That means Onana will have to return to Manchester again at the end of the season unless separate negotiations take place before next July.

Crucially, Trabzonspor are also set to cover the “majority” of Onana’s salary. He is contractually entitled to a pay rise this summer by virtue of United qualifying for the Champions League, so that part of the agreement is important to remove a significant financial burden.

The Cameroon international’s current United contract runs for two more years. Next summer, the club could either try and cash in with a permanent sale, look to mutually cancel his contract a year early, or organize a third loan that would lead to him into free agency in 2028.

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What Onana Leaving Means for Man Utd’s Goalkeeper Department

Man Utd could recruit to support Tom Heaton (L), Senne Lammens (R). | Stuart Leggett/MI News/NurPhoto/Getty Images

A departure for Onana this summer in some capacity was expected, with few predicting he would stay in Manchester to accept a backup role behind Lammens.

But what it does is increase the likelihood that a new goalkeeper, recruited specifically as a No. 2, will be required. Altay Bayındır, who began last season with the gloves before Lammens was given a chance in October, is also tipped to leave in search of a starting job elsewhere. Bayındır had been a starter at Fenerbahçe before arriving in England in 2023 but has played only 17 times since.

Although he was still included in Türkiye’s World Cup squad this summer, a strong run over the next couple of seasons could see him challenge current No. 1 Uğurcan Çakır by Euro 2028.

United have already re-signed veteran third-choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton to a one-year contract extension and are tipped to target reliable experience for the No. 2 role that is opening up.

Karl Darlow, Sam Johnstone and Angus Gunn are all rumored targets in that respect. Signing any one of the three—each a free agent—would further lock in Lammens’s No. 1 status but provide a short-term safe pair of hands in the event of the Belgian getting injured and being unable to play.

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