Shock club in pole position for Man Utd flop Van de Beek amid loan struggles

Willem Leijgraf

• Updated: 28 Feb 2024 17:02 GMT
• 4 min read

Ajax will make an attempt to sign Donny van de Beek next summer, according to a report.

The 26-year-old midfielder is currently on loan from Manchester United at Eintracht Frankfurt, with an option to purchase him included in the agreement. The Germans are reportedly not planning to permanently sign Van de Beek.

Van de Beek could instead return to the Johan Cruyff ArenA four years after his departure from Ajax to Man Utd. At the time, the Dutch international was sold to the Red Devils for €39 million. Van de Beek's stay at Old Trafford has been anything but a success, however, partly due to injuries.

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In January, the midfielder was relieved of his reserve role at Old Trafford by Frankfurt, but even in the Bundesliga the Dutchman has failed to improve his fortunes, now alternating between the starting XI and the bench more than a month after his arrival.

The 26-year-old has been a major disappointment and, to make matters worse, Van de Beek was not even registered for the Europa League by the German side.

Return to Ajax?

Frankfurt are reportedly not interested in signing Van de Beek permanently after this season, meaning he will return to Man Utd in the summer. There, he still has a contract until 2025, but, according to the Manchester Evening News, he is one of as many as 15 Red Devils stars who could be sold.

A return to Ajax is now one of the options for Van de Beek, who is also reportedly keen on a move to Amsterdam. It is not known what transfer fee Man Utd would want to receive. Van de Beek currently has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of just €6.5 million.

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Van de Beek featured in merely 21 minutes for Erik ten Hag's side in the first half of the season, spread over two games. Additionally, he spent 12 matches on the bench for 90 minutes. The midfielder hoped for more playing time at Frankfurt and has managed to play in five of the seven competitive matches to date.

He has been a starter four times but was always subbed off after being completely anonymous in most of his outings. Van de Beek has failed to score at both Manchester United and Frankfurt this season.