‘I was linked with £51m move to Man Utd – this is why I passed to sign new deal’

Kaua Santos has signed a contract extension at Eintracht Frankfurt, despite reported interest from Manchester United, and the Brazilian has now opened up on his decision to stay in Germany

Goalkeeper Kaua Santos has snubbed interest from Manchester United to pen a new deal with Eintracht Frankfurt, citing the club’s “faith” in him as the reason behind his decision. The 22-year-old Brazilian has been turning heads across Europe since his debut in September 2024.

The Red Devils reportedly considered him a potential replacement for their current No. 1, Andre Onana. Despite German outlet BILD’s reports that United’s director of recruitment, Christopher Vivell, held talks with Frankfurt over a £51 million move in April, Santos has pledged his future to Frankfurt by signing on until 2030.

“The management in Frankfurt showed tremendous confidence in me,” Santos said to Welt on his desire to stay in the Bundesliga. “They wanted to continue working with me before these rumors even surfaced.

“They still have a lot of faith in me here, so it was clear to me that I wanted to extend my contract. I want to establish myself as a goalkeeper, perform well, and achieve as much as possible.”

Santos made the switch from Brazilian outfit Flamengo to Eintracht in 2023 and quickly claimed the No. 1 spot, replacing veteran Kevin Trapp.

Despite being hampered by a serious knee injury that is expected to sideline him for most of 2025, Santos appears quite settled, eager to add more glory to the club’s recent achievements.

“The club has shown repeatedly with the DFB Cup and Europa League victories, as well as with our Champions League qualification great things are possible here,” Santos added. “I want to help repeat such successes.”

Meanwhile, it’s been a tough season for United’s Onana, 29, with rumours mounting about his future at Old Trafford as manager Ruben Amorim eyes a squad overhaul. Reports state that the club is “open” to selling many players in order to finance new signings.

With speculation rife regarding his role as United’s number one keeper, Onana himself expressed uncertainty over his summer plans when pressed by Afrik-Foot.

“I don’t know. We’ll see,” Onana said on the topic of his potential departure from United. Although previous indications from The Athletic suggest he may remain at the club.

Despite claims that Amorim is looking to address his goalkeeping department, United’s Portuguese boss publicly defended Onana following the Cameroonian’s particularly error-strewn performance in the Europa League quarter-finals this season.

“It can happen,” Amorim said about Onana’s mistakes. “If you play football, you’ll play a lot of games, and you can make mistakes. If you look at the season, I make more mistakes than them during these last games and these last months.”

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