Real Madrid were linked with a move for Ajax ace Donny van de Beek earlier this summer, and the Dutchman has still refused to rule out an exit.
The 22-year-old enjoyed a stellar campaign last year, as he bagged 17 goals and 13 assists in 57 appearances to help guide the Dutch giants to a domestic double and the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Unfortunately for the reigning Eredivisie champions, they have been hit with damaging exits already this summer with influential duo Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong moving on to join Juventus and Barcelona respectively.
Now, they will be concerned that Van de Beek could follow suit, as the creative playmaker has left the door open to an exit by insisting that he couldn’t confirm if he would stay or not.
“I don’t like making statements to say if I’ll stay or not,” he is quoted as saying to VTBL, as per Calciomercato. “In football you can never promise anything. I won’t say that I will remain 100%, you won’t hear me say that.”
It comes after Marca reported earlier this summer that Real Madrid could target the Dutch international to further bolster their attacking options ahead of next season.
It was suggested that his €60m valuation made him a viable alternative to Paul Pogba who could cost significantly more to prise away from Man Utd, and given that he is still at Old Trafford, that leaves the possibility open of Van de Beek being signed to address that key issue in the Real Madrid line-up.
Los Blancos have already been busy this summer with the signings of Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, Ferland Mendy, Eder Militao and Rodrygo, as Zidane looks to rebuild and bounce back from their bitterly disappointing campaign last year.
Van de Beek could be another key piece to be added to ensure that happens, and based on his comments above, he’s still set to weigh up his options ahead of the transfer deadline. Much will firstly depend on Real Madrid’s ability to convince Ajax to sell another prized asset this summer though.
