Van de Beek's SURPRISING price tag revealed as Real Sociedad talks begin

Robin Bairner

• 2 Aug 2023 14:15 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United are willing to sell Donny van de Beek this summer, but according to reports, they are not ready to let the Netherlands international star depart at any cost.

Van de Beek arrived in 2020 from Ajax but has struggled with injuries and finds himself on the periphery of manager Erik ten Hag’s thinking – a surprising position for the 26-year-old to find himself given he was expected to be one of the big winners when the former boss of the Eredivisie side arrived at Old Trafford to hook up with one of his former protegees.

And he is likely to drop further out of the thinking with Man Utd closing in on a deal for Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat.

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Despite Van de Beek’s falling star, Man Utd have put a €29 million (£25m) transfer fee on his head – well above the player’s €13m Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) - according to the Daily Mail.

Fabrizio Romano revealed on Tuesday that Real Sociedad have approached the Red Devils over a deal, with the clubs now discussing the formula and terms of the transfer.

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Why are Man Utd asking so much?

For a start, Van de Beek was signed for €39m three years ago, so they are looking to recoup as much of that figure as possible.

Furthermore, there are also numerous clubs chasing a player who still has two years left on his contract. Perhaps there is an ambition to start a bidding war, although the likes of Ajax and Real Sociedad, who seem to be the likeliest destinations for the Netherlands star, cannot afford to commit such resources to a deal.

Perhaps Ten Hag still believes that Van de Beek can reach his promise. After all, when he arrived at Man Utd, he had an ETV of €51m that climbed close to €60m after his first weeks at the club. There is no doubt that he can be a valuable commodity if he can rediscover his form.

Finally, Man Utd may also feel that they are not in a position whereby they have to sell Van de Beek, with Fred and, to a lesser extent, Scott McTominay both commodities who could be offloaded for big fees.