Barcelona are reportedly keeping tabs on former academy ace Andre Onana, who will be out of contract at the end of the season at AFC Ajax.
According to a report from Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are monitoring the situation of AFC Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana as they consider a free transfer swoop for the 25-year-old.
Onana started out at the Samuel Eto’o academy in his homeland Cameroon before moving to the Barcelona youth academy in 2010. The goalkeeper spent five years within La Masia and went on to feature for the Catalans’ Under-19 side but never made an appearance for the B team or the seniors.
In 2015, the Cameroonian goalkeeper signed for Ajax and soon after went on to become the first-choice custodian. To date, the 25-year-old has made 204 appearances for the Dutch giants, managing 83 clean sheets. However, he has not featured for Ajax for over six months now after being banned for doping till November.
Despite his situation, Onana has no shortage of suitors as he approaches the final stage of his contract with the Eredivisie champions. Indeed, the 25-year-old’s current deal with Ajax runs out at the end of the ongoing season and this has alerted a number of clubs, including the likes of Arsenal, Inter Milan.
Now, Barcelona too have entered the race for the signing of Onana on a free transfer when his deal runs out. The Catalans have Marc-Andre ter Stegen as their first-choice custodian with Brazilian shot-stopper Neto acting as his backup. However, the latter has been angling for a move away from Camp Nou since January earlier this year, but a move did not materialise.
A similar situation ensued in the summer as well, with Neto pushing for an exit only to end up staying as ter Stegen was out with an injury at the start of the season. However, that may change next year, with Onana emerging as a potential alternative to replace the former Valencia shot-stopper as the second-choice goalkeeper at Barcelona.
Barcelona have brought back former academy graduate Eric Garcia this summer and are pushing to sign another ex-La Masia ace in Dani Olmo for RB Leipzig. Onana, too, has now emerged as a transfer target for the Blaugrana and it remains to be seen if they are successful in their bid to land the Cameroon international on a Bosman move next summer.