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They’re queueing up to sign Donny van de Beek, but his agent won’t be impressed by who’s in that queue.
Manchester United signed the Dutchman for €39 million from Ajax in September 2020 and it looked at the time to be a superb signing. Van de Beek was one of the most coveted midfielders in world football at the time.
However, things did not work out as expected. Immersed in the chaos of Manchester United’s mismanagement, a series of endless injuries, unsuccessful loan deals and erratic form, the now 27 year old’s career has faltered and ground to a halt as we gallop towards the fourth anniversary of the day he signed.
His latest loan deal at Eintracht Frankfurt has been another disaster. He has only made eight appearances all season, with two starts, and the German club has long since decided not to exercise the option to buy that was included in the deal.
Propped up by the sentimentality of fond memories of his former glory days in Amsterdam, Ajax recently boldly nailed their colours to the mast and offered to kill the fatted calf for their prodigal son.
However, Van de Beek’s agent, Guido Albers, turned down the move, stating that “my preference was to look in Spain, France or Italy”.
Albers, therefore, will presumably similarly be turning down the latest club to throw their hat into the ring by virtue of their geography.
According to fichajes.net, Galatasaray “see in the Dutch midfielder an attractive option to strengthen its midfield and increase its competitiveness in the different competitions in which it participates.”
The report explains that Gala “hope to convince Van de Beek by offering him the opportunity to have a more constant participation and a relevant role in the team.”
There is plenty of time to sort out a new club for Donny before the new season starts, but it may be that Albers is not serving his client well by holding out for a starting number 10 role in one of Europe’s top leagues after the four years the player has had.
There have been murmurs of Real Sociedad and Inter Milan showing some interest, but nothing concrete has developed at this stage. A loan to Sociedad fell through previously and there may be big boots to fill there if Martin Zubimendi moves on. Meanwhile, opportunities could be limited in a successful and established Inter side which tends to operate with twin strikers rather than a number 10.
Of course, the option remains for Van de Beek to sit out the last year of his Old Trafford contract if nothing emerges to please him. However, that would almost certainly mean his spell in the wilderness will extend to five years and his stock could be so low that ships such as Ajax and Galatasaray might have sailed, too.
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