MANCHESTER UNITED attempted a last-minute ‘hijack’ of Aston Villa’s deal for Everton’s Amadou Onana, according to reports.
But Onana is yet to complete his move to Villa Park and will undergo a medical this weekend.
Villa stole the lead from Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Barcelona to acquire the 22-year-old’s services.
But they had to fend off late interest from long-time United admirers to sign Onana.
The Red Devils were willing to match Aston Villa’s £50m offer on higher financial terms.
But Onana gave his word to Unai Emery and the agreement is “almost complete”, says Belgian media outlet Het Nieuwsblad.
The Belgium international is set to become Aston Villa’s record signing after signing a five-year contract.
Everton will receive an initial £45m, plus £5m in bonuses and 10% of any future sales.
Meanwhile, United have reportedly agreed personal terms with Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte.
Onana spent two seasons at Goodison Park after signing from Lille in a £33m deal, with the French club entitled to 20 per cent of his sale price.
BEST UK BOOKMAKER FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERSs
MAN UTD TRANSFER NEWS LIVE: All the latest offers and rumors from Old Trafford
He has become a key player for Everton, making 72 appearances – including 37 last season in all competitions.
Onana will now fly to Birmingham to complete his medical and finalize the deal on Sunday.
Onana’s move will be completed in time for Villa’s pre-season tour of the United States this month.
Villa have already made a busy start to the transfer window, recruiting Ian Maatsen, Ross Barkley, Samuel Iling Junior, Enzo Barrenechea and Lewis Dobbin.
Jaden Philogene is also expected to complete his £13.5m move back to Villa within the next 24 hours after the club triggered a “matching rights” option.
The 22-year-old was one of the stars of the Championship last season, scoring 12 goals in 32 games for Hull as the club came close to a play-off place.
Nine coaches Man Utd considered before keeping Erik ten Hag
ERIK TEN HAG appears to be safe as Man Utd manager, but the Dutchman has come dangerously close to being sacked.
Here are nine managers Red Devils bosses considered for the role and what allegedly happened to each.
Gareth Southgate
He enjoys a lot of support among bosses at Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos but made it clear he would not speak to any club until after Euro 2024. There has yet to be any suggestion that contact has been made with the England manager.
Kieran McKenna
Negotiations were opened with McKenna’s representatives ahead of the FA Cup final, but the former Man Utd manager opted to sign a new contract with Ipswich following Ten Hag’s victory at Wembley.
Roberto DeZerbi
Reportedly probed before FA Cup final with salary expectations discussed. But Ineos bosses concluded the former Brighton boss was not the right person for the project.
Thomas Frank
The Brentford manager met Man Utd representatives the day before the FA Cup final. The Dane also dined with Ratcliffe, Roy Hodgson and Frank Lampard at the launch of a new Ineos car in February.
Marco Silva
The Fulham manager is said to have met Man Utd representatives in person two days before the FA Cup final, around the same time as Ten Hag was conducting his press conference.
Mauricio Pochettino
He left Man Utd’s thoughts in the first week of June, despite being Sir Alex Ferguson’s favorite.
Thomas Tuchel
He made a very strong impression and got along well during a meeting in Monaco. Personal terms were discussed before the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager decided to step away from the process.
Ruben Amorim
The Sporting boss was discussed by the Man Utd hierarchy, but did not make the final settlement.
Roberto Martinez
The Portugal coach was considered at the initial stage.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story