Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek has reportedly completed his medical ahead of his £37.5 million transfer from the Dutch club this summer. The medical was completed in the Netherlands with Sky Sports reporting that the 23-year-old could avoid quarantine in the United Kingdom if the move is completed by Friday. The player passed his medical, according to The Sun, with no outstanding issues, which is a good sign. The player will have to choose another number at the Old Trafford club though.

Van de Beek wore the number six shirt at Ajax, a number which is worn by Paul Pogba at the Old Trafford club. It is not likely to be something that will cause any problems with the transfer but seems to be something that the media have put out to mean something, which is pointless. The father of the midfielder, Andre van de Beek spoke to Dutch news source omroepgelderland.nl regarding his son’s transfer to United, talking about it being a dream come true, saying:

“This is a dream come true. It’s the perfect moment for him to make this step to such a beautiful club.

“Many clubs were interested, but Donny decides himself.”

Tottenham Hotspur were said to have made a move on the eleventh hour to sign the Dutchman but it was too late for them to get something done with a move to United all but completed at the time. Real Madrid and Barcelona were also interested in the player but the financial effects of the coronavirus pandemic might be the major reason in the two Spanish clubs not getting involved in the transfer of the 23-year-old this summer, which will no doubt be a blow for them.

Van de Beek was called up for the Netherlands squad for their upcoming internationals against Poland (Friday 4 September) and Italy (Monday 7 September) which will be matches that United supporters will be able to see the clubs new signing playing for the first time, ahead of the 2020/21 Premier League started, which will be a week later for United who will start at Old Trafford against Crystal Palace on Saturday 19 September all because United participated in the latter stages of the UEFA Europa League this summer.

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believed that the 23-year-old is the right kind of singing for the club and fits the profile and cost in what will be a difficult transfer window for the Old Trafford club. The player had reportedly told his friends that he would be signing for United this summer with them being the only club offering the €40 million that Ajax wanted for the player to be able to leave the club. The player made 37 appearances for Ajax last season, scoring 10 goals and 11 assists, which would be an improvement to United’s midfield if he can achieve similar at United.

Written by John Walker

Manchester United are close to completing the signing of Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek after a bid of £35.7 million (€40 million) plus add-ons has been agreed, according to reports by Ed Aarons and Fabrizio Romano in the Guardian. The player will conclude his transfer in the coming week and ben announced as a United player. Real Madrid and Barcelona were said to be interested in the Netherlands international this summer. Earlier on Sunday, it was reported that the player had told his friends about the transfer.

United seem to have done a lot of the legwork in this deal earlier this year, despite it not looking like that at the moment in time with the transfer window having been open for a month and nothing of note happening. United have been known to be slow in signing players and will need to ensure they quicken the pace in the future. Van de Beek has been linked to the club for a while now which seems to be coming to a close with a successful signing seemingly taking place.

The Mirror have reported that Tottenham Hotspur attempted to make an eleventh hour deal to sign the Dutch international this summer but United pushed through with their chief negotiator Matt Judge sealing the agreement and Spurs missing out on another target to United – the last being Bruno Fernandes, who Spurs were heavily linked with last summer, as well as United and earlier this year before the Portuguese midfielder eventually signed for United.

During the 2019/20 season, Van de Beek made a total of 37 appearances for Ajax, playing in the Eredivisie, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, the TOTO KNVB Beker, and the Johan Cruijff Schaal. He scored 10 goals and 11 assists during the course of the season, playing in his last game of the season, a 3-1 victory over Heerenveen before the coronavirus pandemic suspended world football with the Eredivisie being cancelled with no team winning the league for the season.

Van de Beek can play as an attacking midfielder and in the central midfield position, which will give Ole Gunnar Solskjaer some options ahead of the 2020/21 season, which could well be a good one for United, especially if they manager to sign a winger and a central defender, as a minimum. United will always be linked to different players, which is great for the club but the majority will either be clubs and agents using United or journalists creating stories based on nothing, which could end with sufficient clicks to website, other clubs signing the player then another story showing how United missed out, which has been common in the past eight years or so.

Prior to this deal being reached, the 23-year-old was removed from the Ajax squad ahead of a friendly with German side Eintracht Frankfurt, which Ajax won 2-1 and a 2-2 draw against Union Berlin on Sunday. Ajax manager, Eric Ten Hag, reported by the Guardian, stated:

“There are indeed developments that keep him out of the selection. We will see what happens. We’ll make an announcement as soon as there’s some clarity.

“The fact that Donny did not play does indicate a direction. The request not to let him play did not come specifically from one side. We do that together.

“Agreements have been made about a possible transfer, and if that possibility arises you must also cooperate.”

Written by John Walker

Manchester United could be on the cusp of signing their first player of the summer with Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek. According to The Sun, the 23-year-old was left out of the Ajax squad with manager Erik ten Hag citing ‘developments’ regarding the future of the player so he missed the pre-season friendly against Eintracht Frankfurt, a 2-1 victory for the home side. It was suggested that both Barcelona and Real Madrid were also interested in signing the midfielder this summer.

However, according to ESPN’s Alex Shaw, United are the frontrunners for the Dutchman this summer. This is a good sign for United, who are obviously seeking to sign a central defender, a midfielder and a winger this summer, which will go a long way to solving some of the problems regarding quality in the overall squad. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a decent starting XI but when rotation needs to happen, the quality of those players coming in are a massive decline based on the past season.

Ten Hag speaking about Van de Beek being left out of the squad, said:

“There are indeed developments that prevent him from being in the selection.

“We are looking at how that will end.”

Earlier this year, before the coronavirus pandemic, it was reported that the Dutchman was on his way to Real Madrid this summer in a deal that could have been worth £47 million. However, the financial repercussions of the pandemic has caused ongoing problems for clubs this summer with the Madrid side suggesting that they would not make any big signings this summer, concentrating on trimming the fat and getting rid of the players that are not longer required at the club.

Van de Beek is a player that has been linked with an exit from Ajax, as many players do in search of moving onto a higher level of the game. United have a good relationship with Ajax, especially with former goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar being the clubs CEO. The now retired goalkeeper once stated that the player could leave the club this summer for the right price, presumably not allowing the player to leave on the cheap, despite the financial after effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

If United actually sign Van de Beek this summer, it could give Solskjaer a fantastic midfield with Bruno Fernandes, 25, Paul Pogba, 27, Van de Beek, 23, Nemanja Matic, 32 and Scott McTominay, 23 as the main midfielders in the squad with Andreas Pereira and Fred both linked with an exit from the Old Trafford club this summer. There will be scope to add a sixth player to the midfield from the academy with James Garner and Dylan Levitt both performing well and the likes of Hannibal Mejbri coming through the ranks.

Written by John Walker

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