Ajax star Donny van de Beek is reportedly set to seal a £47million transfer to Real Madrid, with Manchester United giving up on pursuing a deal.
The Netherlands international is a top young talent who had been on Man Utd’s radar, but it looks like they’ve missed out as he’s set to move to the Bernabeu instead, according to the Daily Star.
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Van de Beek is a talented goal-scoring midfielder who could have been a superb addition to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s struggling squad, but it may be that there are other decent options to also fill that role.
United continue to be linked with Sporting Lisbon attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes by Sky Sports and others, while Leicester City playmaker James Maddison has also been linked as a target by the Daily Star in recent times.
Van de Beek should end up being a fine buy for Madrid, who need to start rebuilding this squad as they continue to go through something of a transitional period.
The club were always going to struggle after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, while Van de Beek could also be a good long-term replacement for the ageing Luka Modric.
It will be interesting to see how the 22-year-old can now continue his development at a bigger club after such an exciting breakthrough at Ajax.