Donny van de Beek has had an extraordinarily tough time at Old Trafford since his £35 million move to the club back in 2020. It now seems that his difficult time in Manchester could be coming to an end.
That’s according to 90min, who claim that the Dutch midfielder is exploring his options. Surprisingly, French side OGC Nice, owned by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is interested in buying United, is one of the options that the 26-year-old is believed to be exploring.
The Dutchman has been incredibly unfortunate with injuries, he picked up a season-ending knee injury back in January but is now back fit and was pictured last week with another United player returning from injury, Lisandro Martinez.
The report further claims that Ten Hag, who still has a good relationship with the midfielder, has green-lit the former Ajax man’s exit.
In Serie A, Inter, AC Milan and Roma are reportedly interested. There is also interest from the Premier League, with Wolves, Nottingham Forest, and Crystal Palace are also reportedly interested in his services, too.
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Van de Beek has been incredibly unlucky since joining Manchester United
Van de Beek, who had consistently shown his quality in the UEFA Champions League with Ajax, has been desperately unlucky at Old Trafford. Fitting in the 26-year-old when Bruno Fernandes was ahead of him and performing brilliantly, was a tough ask.
As well as this, United never really had an out-and-out defensive midfielder who could deal with and cover two attacking number eights when they pushed forward. Only with Casemiro’s arrival have United fans been able to see Fernandes and Christian Eriksen given license to roam in the final third.
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Roaming in the final third was something that van de Beek was superb at during his time at Ajax. It was perhaps unfortunate that when Eriksen suffered his injury in January against Reading, two weeks earlier van de Beek had suffered an injury of his own.
Loan more likely than a full sale
Despite United and Ten Hag giving the green light to the sale, a loan is the most likely outcome, according to the same report from 90min.
Former club Ajax and, surprisingly, Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic would also be interested in a loan, only on the right terms.
Van de Beek’s stock is low at present and he could not command much in terms of fee. That’s why a loan with a view to a future sale may be the right move.