According to Spanish media outlet Marca, Manchester United are planning to hijack Donny van de Beek from Real Madrid’s clutches.
Real Madrid have already closed on an agreement with the Ajax midfielder a few months back to bring him to Spain this summer. The La Liga giants were desperate to bring him to the Santiago Bernabeu last summer.
The Zinedine Zidane-led side were futile in their attempts after failing to offload out of favour stars James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale. Despite Madrid’s pre-agreement, United are still interested in the young midfielder, who has become one of the most sought-after players in Europe.
However, even if United decide to land the talented midfielder, it is believed that such a move would only be possible if Madrid are ready to let go of their earlier agreement with the Dutch star.
Meanwhile, United finally found themselves a talented midfielder in Bruno Fernandes, who arrived from Sporting Lisbon in the winter transfer market. Since arriving, Fernandes has been a big hit, scoring two goals and providing three assists from his five league matches.
Solskjaer’s Red Devils, however, face a problem in star man Paul Pogba. The 2018 French World Cup winner has missed a major portion of the season due to injury and with the uncertainty surrounding his future at the club, United are in need of an established midfielder in their ranks.
The fact that Van de Beek has experience playing in the Champions League and his consistent displays for Ajax in the past few years puts him in high regard to steer an inconsistent United side back to their glory days.
Moreover, with 10 goals and 11 assists for the Dutch giants this season, Van de Beek has also proved that he is no one-season wonder. Last season, he was the talk of the town after putting in some eye-catching displays for the Eredivisie leaders.
His impressive figures of 17 goals and 13 assists from 57 games made him an instant hit. To add more to his credentials, he is a one-time Dutch champion and a Dutch Cup winner – both of which he won last season with Ajax. Having joined the Ajax youth academy back in 2014, Van de Beek quickly rose through the ranks and has an impressive record that holds him in high stead.
After making his debut in the 2014-15 season with the senior side, Van de Beek has played a total of 118 league games, scoring 28 goals and 24 assists.
It sure would be a difficult job for United to catch hold of the Dutchman given Madrid’s interest in him. However, the Red Devils should wait and pounce on him if at all Madrid decide to let go of their pursuit of the talented midfielder.
With a club of Madrid’s stature having made an agreement already with Van de Beek, it remains to be seen if United have a chance to pen a new deal. However, his addition would definitely add quality to a side that has been inconsistent in the middle.
At 23, Van de Beek has plenty of football left in him and could make United a force to reckon with in the coming days if he combines well with the creative Fernandes.
