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Manchester United have already strengthened in midfield with the signing of Mason Mount from Chelsea but manager Erik ten Hag is adamant that more reinforcements are required.
Last season United suffered when Casemiro was suspended, which happened three times during the Premier League campaign. The club also failed to control the tempo of games against the top teams away from home,
The Dutchman wants to fix these issues and has earmarked Sofyan Amrabat as the perfect signing but for the Moroccan to arrive, the club will need to raise funds through player sales after exhausting their summer transfer kitty.
Donny for sale
One player who has been linked with a move away is Donny van de Beek. The Dutch midfielder has endured a nightmarish time since his move to Old Trafford in 2020.
The 26-year-old had arrived from Ajax for €39 million after an incredible club and individual campaign but since then has started only 23 games in all competitions in three seasons.
His fortunes did not improve much under his former Ajax coach either and his anonymous displays in pre-season was yet another indicator that it is time United cut short their losses.
It was telling that he was the only player subbed off at half-time in the game against Athletic Bilbao, following which the team played much better.
Real Sociedad have been in discussions with United over a potential deal after being sufficiently pleased with the player’s progress following his knee injury last term.
At one point there were doubts whether the deal could proceed as the Spanish team were unconvinced with his knee as they have seen plenty of players fail to return to form after such a devastating knock.
However, according to Mundo Deportivo, the La Liga side are looking at an initial loan deal with the option to buy while the Red Devils would prefer to include an obligation-to-buy clause in that loan deal.
United were asking for as much as €29 million and Sociedad do not have the means to procure a player for that amount.
United want mandatory purchase clause
“According to English media, the current intention of the ‘Red Devils’ with respect to Donny van de Beek is to transfer him. This could complicate his arrival at a Real who are not willing to make large outlays without having made cash beforehand.
“Their purpose was to agree on a loan deal with an option to buy for the Dutchman. In this sense, the English club would only agree if this purchase option were mandatory, a very common formula these days, which is nothing more than a deferred purchase.
“Considering that Manchester United paid 40 million euros to Ajax for this footballer three years ago, in the midst of a pandemic, it does not seem easy to establish an affordable starting price for Real, although he is a transferable footballer, to whom they want to give way to be able to sign Sofyan Amrabat.”
It will be interesting to see how the deal ends up materialising and how much United can recoup from the sale of a player who was never a stylistic fit for the 20-time English league champions.
