Real Madrid are reportedly eyeing Ajax star Donny van de Beek as an alternative option should they fail in their pursuit of Paul Pogba this summer.
Zinedine Zidane is busy overseeing a squad overhaul this summer, as Eder Militao, Luka Jovic, Eden Hazard and Ferland Mendy have all been officially announced already.
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It comes after a bitterly disappointing campaign in which they ended up empty-handed, and so reinforcements are certainly needed at the Bernabeu to get them back on track it seems.
According to Marca, while Pogba remains the top target, Real Madrid are said to be considering Van de Beek as an alternative option as he will cost significantly less at €60m, while it’s noted that a swoop for the Dutchman won’t be as complicated as going for Pogba.
In turn, it would appear as though the sensible option would be to focus on the Ajax ace after he enjoyed an impressive season last year with 17 goals and 13 assists in 57 appearances in all competitions.
That led to a domestic double for Ajax as well as a run to the Champions League semi-finals, with Van de Beek showcasing his quality along the way to warrant such interest from the La Liga giants.
While Pogba has more star power and is the better all-round player, it’s difficult to see Man Utd letting him leave this summer as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will surely be desperate to keep him at Old Trafford and build around him rather than spend the summer trying to replace him.
Further, the Mirror note that there is also the danger that the Frenchman opts for a return to Juventus instead of moving to Spain.
Real Madrid can’t afford to sit around and wait for that process to play out, and so there is an argument to suggest that they could be better off in going for Van de Beek, assuming the 22-year-old can be prised away from the reigning Eredivisie champions ahead of next season.
