Manchester United have made contact over a possible deal for Ajax star Donny van de Beek, reports say. The midfielder is valued at £ 49m by the Dutch giants who have impressed for the club in recent years. But the Dutch international is presumably waiting for Barcelona, biding his time to find out what will happen with Lionel Messi’s future.
Manchester United has long been linked to Van de Beek.
The Ajax star impressed in midfield last season as the club retained the Eredivisie title, scoring eight goals and recording five assists in 23 league games.
United were particularly interested in Van de Beek at a time when it looked like Paul Pogba was leaving the club for Real Madrid or Juventus.
With the French international now poised to stay, however, those ties have cooled somewhat.
However, Catalan newspaper Sport says United have made contact over a possible deal for Van de Beek, as well as Premier League rivals Tottenham.
Even so, though, it is rumored that Van de Beek would prefer a transfer to Barcelona but is waiting to find out the outcome of Messi’s future before making any potential transfers to Camp Nou.
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Van de Beek isn’t United’s only transfer goal at the moment, with Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho still their top priority.
Yet signing the England international was easier said than done, with the Bundesliga giants insisting their prized possession won’t go anywhere until its £ 108 million asking price is fully met.
Meanwhile, ESPN expert Steve Nicol recently spoke about Van de Beek and expressed belief that he would be a “ big ” signing for Barcelona as they try to recover from a horrendous last season.
Nicol told ESPN FC: “I think it would be great for both him and Barcelona. I think he might get into those three in-between, [Arturo] Vidal surpassed his best.
“Van De Beek can still play better passes than Vidal.
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“I think he can enter the area and would score more goals than Vidal. Yes, this sounds like a smart move for both the player and the club. “
Van de Beek previously admitted that he was relaxed about his future, saying, “It’s very messy, in any case a very messy time in terms of transfers.
“Nothing is certain yet. I am still an Ajax player and I am still proud to be there.
“If there hadn’t been the coronavirus, it might be different now. There’s no clarity now and we have to wait and see how it turns out.
“I’m still here and after all these years I still have a lot of fun. If I also play Ajax next season, I still have a lot of fun. You won’t hear me complain.”
