Van de Beek makes decision over future as LaLiga leaders make move

Robin Bairner

• 13 Dec 2023 12:55 GMT
• 2 min read

Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek has made a decision over his future, according to Fabrizio Romano, who says that the Netherlands international prefers a move to Eintracht Frankfurt to a reunion with Daley Blind at Girona.

Van de Beek is at a dead end at Man Utd and appears to be leaving on loan in January.

Romano previously reported that Frankfurt are in pole position to sign the ex-Ajax player.

The transfer journalist reports via X, formerly known as Twitter, that Van de Beek would like to make the switch to the Bundesliga side.

“Discussions between the two clubs are moving in the right direction,” Romano says.

At the beginning of December, the 26-year-old Dutchman was linked with a transfer to Italy, where Fiorentina, Atalanta and Genoa were interested according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Numerous clubs courted him during the summer transfer window, but he turned down a chance to move to Ligue 1 outfit Lorient, while talks with Real Sociedad ultimately broke down.

Van de Beek’s Man Utd departure is entirely logical. He joined the club in the summer of 2022 for €39 million but he has never been able to impress at Old Trafford. He has spent much of his time battling both injuries and a loss of form.

Across 62 matches for Erik ten Hag’s side, he has managed two goals and two assists, while many of his appearances have been fleeting from the bench.

Quite what happens to Van de Beek in the summer is less clear. The 19-cap Netherlands star has a contract that runs until the middle of 2025 and appears very unlikely to earn an extension.

Man Utd will likely hope that he excels with his loan club to such an extent that they are enticed to buy him on a permanent basis – or at least he catches the eye to such a degree that another club is tempted into a deal.

As it stands, it looks like the Red Devils will see little of the money back they invested in Van de Beek, who looked such a promising player before he arrived at the club.