Two clubs from Turkey could offer Donny van de Beek an escape route from Manchester United in the coming days.
According to ESPN (via The Mirror), Istanbul arch-rivals Galatasaray and Fenerbahce are interested in the Dutchman, with the Super Lig transfer window open until next Friday.
The Red Devils had been keen to offload the 26-year-old permanently, but a loan exit is now being considered. They initially believed they could recoup a good fee for the midfield, but with the clock ticking towards the Turkish deadline, Old Trafford chiefs could now sanction a temporary departure.
United had been hoping to get Van de Beek and his £120,000-per-week wages (Capology) off their payroll altogether in order to balance their books financially, although that may no longer be possible this side of January.
The Netherlands international arrived in Manchester three years ago with a stellar reputation after being so impressive for Ajax under Erik ten Hag, but his time in England hasn’t worked out how either he or the club would’ve hoped.
He’s made a paltry six Premier League starts for the Red Devils in that time, only one more than he had during a half-season loan spell at Everton in the first few months of 2022.
Van de Beek’s current standing at Old Trafford was made starkly clear when he was omitted from United’s Champions League squad in recent days, while he hasn’t played competitively for the club since the 3-0 win over Bournemouth at the start of January.
Even Ten Hag – under whom the 26-year-old enjoyed the best period of his career when helping Ajax to the brink of the Champions League final in 2019 – has given him precious little opportunity to revive his fortunes in Manchester.
If either Galatasaray or Fenerbahce can approach the United hierarchy with a decent loan proposal between now and Friday, there’s a strong chance that the Premier League club will accept, so that the midfielder can be granted a fresh start elsewhere.