The deal contains no option to buy. Onana spent last season at Trabzonspor after being sent out by United following their shock EFL Cup defeat on penalties at League Two Grimsby — the only United match of his 2025-26 campaign. He helped Trabzonspor win the Turkish Cup for the first time since 2020.
Onana, 30, signed for Manchester United from Inter Milan for £47.2 million in 2023 but has never established himself as Michael Carrick's first choice. Senne Lammens is the preferred goalkeeper heading into the 2026-27 season, and Onana knew before the summer that he would not be displacing him.
He is due to return to United for pre-season training on July 9 but the expectation is that the Trabzonspor arrangement will be formalised before then. He has two years remaining on his contract at Old Trafford.
At 30 and with his United career effectively at a standstill, the coming months will determine whether a second consecutive loan is a viable solution or whether a permanent departure becomes the more sensible outcome for both club and player.
United's goalkeeping situation reflects a broader pattern at the club under Michael Carrick. Several high-cost signings from the post-Ferguson era have failed to hold down starting positions as the club continues its rebuild. Onana's transfer remains one of the more significant misfires — a goalkeeper signed to be the first choice who has now played a single competitive match for the club in three years.
Trabzonspor finished fourth in the Turkish Süper Lig last season and will compete in European competition next term, giving Onana a meaningful environment in which to stay sharp.