'Man Utd getting robbed' - Details of Van de Beek's transfer revealed

Tom Weber

• Updated: 16 Dec 2023 14:23 GMT
• 3 min read

Eintracht Frankfurt are getting a better Donny van de Beek deal than initially reported, according to German media.

The Dutchman is finally on his way out. Having had a torrid time with injuries and never truly settling at Man Utd, the midfielder will depart the club in January after a loan agreement has been reached with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt.

Van de Beek had already wanted to leave in the summer, but despite interest from Lorient, Real Sociedad and Serie A sides, no move materialised and the 26-year-old was forced to spend the majority of the first half of this season on the bench and in the stands.

Now, he has reportedly given the green light for a move to Germany, but there has nevertheless been some uncertainty because of his hefty wage at United and over the final financial details of the transfer.

While Fabrizio Romano, who broke the story, claimed that Frankfurt's buy option will stand at €15 million in the summer and that the Eagles will pay a loan fee, German media now disputes this.

Van de Beek a bargain?

According to Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg, the German side will not have to pay a loan fee to the Red Devils. Moreover, he claims that, incredibly, the option to buy is less than €10m come the end of the season.

Thus, in the event of the deal being made permanent, Man Utd will have lost a whopping €30m on the Dutchman, having originally signed him from Ajax for €39m in 2020.

In response to Plettenberg breaking the news, some people took to social media to ridicule Man Utd, who have made a habit of doing poor business in recent seasons. One X user wrote: "No loan fee and less than €10m in the summer. United are getting robbed once again."

However, given Van de Beek's injury history, one user compared the deal to Naby Keita signing for Bremen. The injury-prone, ex-Liverpool midfielder joined the Bundesliga side on a free transfer in the summer but has thus far only played 80 minutes all season, having already dealt with three different fitness issues.