Donny van de Beek awaits Premier League offers; Manchester United should make a move now

Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek expects to leave the Dutch champions this summer and has seemingly got his heart set on a move to the Premier League. The player was all set to leave for Real Madrid if the coronavirus pandemic had not made an appearance in 2020, if reports were to be believed. That said, the player is waiting for offers from Premier League clubs, according to Sky Sports, despite the player being happy to remain at Ajax past the 5 October closure of the summer transfer window.

Back in May, former United goalkeeper and current Ajax chief executive office Edwin van der Sar confirmed that Van de Beek, 23, would be allowed to leave the club the summer, as long as a suitable fee was paid. Despite the reports regarding a move to Madrid, the player had not signed a contract or had a medical at the club prior to the coronavirus hitting Europe in March which saw football leagues suspended with almost immediate effect. The Eredivisie was cancelled with no champions for the 2019/20 season.

Van de Beek will consider a move to the Premier League, like many Dutch players have in the past. United have a good relationship with Ajax, especially with Van der Sar at the club. No offers have been made for the player as yet so perhaps this report will get interested clubs to notice, reminding them that the player is available at the right price this summer. Ajax would rather a deal be done before the 13 September, which marks the start of the 2020/21 season for them. United do not respond well to deadlines though.

In June, Ajax manager Eric Ten Hag confirmed to the media that Van de Beek, Nicolas Tagliafico and Andre Onana could all leave the club this summer. The manager spoke to Dutch news source Het Parool, confirming that the club could cash in on the trio this summer, possibly in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. It could well be a blow for Ajax, but when you look back at the player they have sold, they always seem to do well out of it, giving a new youth player a chance to shine, ultimately they do. Ten Hag said:

“The transfer market will start in August. The top leagues are now being played out, so the money flows are maintained. The market value of players will be slightly depressed, but not much.

“Based on their performance and ambition, a number of our players also want to make the move abroad. Agreements have been made with Andre Onana, Donny van de Beek and Nicolás Tagliafico, but it remains to be seen whether the market is indeed breaking loose.

“For Onana and Van de Beek, another year of Ajax could certainly be an option, for Tagliafico it is slightly different because of his age.”

Van de Beek’s contract at Ajax will expire during the summer of 2022, so this will be the last summer that the club could maximise the selling price for the player. The 23-year-old can play in central midfield or in attacking midfield, so will bring creativity, should he be signed. During the 2019/20 season, the player made a total of 37 appearances, scoring 10 goals and 11 assists, which if the same happened at United, would see Van der Beek as a better option that Andreas Pereira and Jesse Lingard at United.

Written by John Walker

Avatar photo
About editor 2098 Articles
I support Manchester United, the greatest English football team to have ever existed. Bruno Fernandes is the latest in a long line of players with great ability to play for the club. I idolised Bryan Robson, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, and Eric Cantona growing up.