Manchester United
Premier League • England
Ten Hag set to axe Man Utd flop, with ex-Ballon D’or candidate available for just £25m this summer
Ajax are reportedly keen to bring Donny van de Beek back to the club, with Manchester United willing to offload him this summer.
The 25-year-old will miss the rest of the 2022-23 campaign with a serious knee injury he sustained in January, which typifies his time at Old Trafford.
Indeed, De Beek arrived at Man Utd with huge expectations after putting in some sensational performances for Ajax, but he has never really replicated that form in the Premier League.
Since joining the Red Devils for £40m in 2020, the Dutchman has made just 60 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring two goals and making two assists.
Last season, he went on a disappointing loan spell to Everton which was once again disrupted by injury, making just six starts under Frank Lampard.
It was thought that Van de Beek would get a chance at redemption when Erik ten Hag, who was his manager at Ajax, became Man Utd boss, but he still made just one Premier League start this term before he picked up his injury in January.
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De Beek available for £25m this summer
According to a report by Football Insider, Ajax are strongly considering making a bid for De Beek this summer.
They note that Man Utd would accept a bid in the region of £25m for the midfielder, who earns a reported wage of £ 120,000 a week.
While De Beek’s injuries will no doubt concern Ajax, his form at the Johan Cruyff Arena was simply sensational before he made the switch to the Premier League.
In 175 appearances for the Dutch giants, the centre-mid scored 41 goals and made 34 assists, winning one Eredivisie title, as well as reaching the Champions League semi-final with his team in 2019.
Van de Beek was also nominated for the Ballon d’Or in 2019, showing how highly rated he was at that time.
With that in mind, it seems likely that Ajax could come back in for him this summer, with Man Utd set to axe him, along with seven others in a major summer clear-out, as per Football Insider’s report.
Ten Hag is already looking at bolstering his midfield ahead of next season, with the Red Devils linked with a big-money move for Real Madrid star Eduardo Camavinga in recent days.
With the likes of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in excellent form this season, it seems unlikely De Beek would be able to force his way back into the Man Utd starting XI next season.
Therefore, a move back to Ajax may be exactly what the midfielder needs to get his career back on track.
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