Man Utd star 'angry' Real Madrid transfer collapsed

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 17 Feb 2024 17:34 GMT
• 3 min read

Donny van de Beek has failed to reignite his career while on loan from Manchester United - but there was a time where the midfielder was courted by Real Madrid.

The Dutchman left on loan to Eintracht Frankfurt during the January transfer window after struggling for three-and-a-half years at Old Trafford since leaving Ajax.

Indeed, the player opened up on his move to Man Utd not long after he joined the Premier League giants.

"Everything was agreed with Real Madrid, but it fell through," he told a Dutch newspaper.

"At the time I was angry and I wondered if that sort of opportunity would come around again. I guess it was because the club couldn't sell the players they had planned to."

Indeed, Van de Beek was set on a move to the Santiago Bernabeu but it failed to materialise over the lack of funds.

MEN report that Man Utd had wanted to sign Jack Grealish that summer but he was too expensive, while James Maddison, then valued at £80million at Leicester City, was another option.

So Man Utd went for Van de Beek after his excellent season with Ajax.

Does Donny van de Beek's deal at Frankfurt include an option to buy?

After the move, former Red Devils goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar penned an open letter, expressing his gratitude to the playmaker. "Please take good care of our Donny, and help him dream,” he said.

Van de Beek has failed to nail down a starting place under four different managers and he was finally sent on loan to the Bundesliga.

In the deal with Frankfurt, an option to buy was included, but at this rate it looks unlikely that will be triggered, owing to his poor form.

He was taken off at half-time in his third appearance, was an unused substitute in his fourth, and replaced during another despite being a substitute himself.

Frankfurt also left him out of their squad for their Europa Conference League campaign. The club's other January signings, Sasa Kalajdzic, Hugo Ekitike and Philipp Max, were chosen to take up those places instead. “He’s only played a total of four games in the last two years, so it won’t happen overnight," Manager Dino Toppmöller said about his snub.