Barcelona plot spectacular Van de Beek transfer
Willem Leijgraf
- 5 Dec 2023 08:03 CST
- 3 min read
Barcelona could reunite Frenkie de Jong with Donny van de Beek, Sport reports.
The 26-year-old Manchester United midfielder is at a dead end in England and is said to have offered himself to the Spanish top club. Barcelona are not averse to the idea of welcoming Van de Beek in January.
Due to the withdrawal of Gavi, who was seriously injured during the last international break, Barcelona are exploring the feasibility of signing an extra midfielder.
The arrival of Van de Beek is interesting for the Blaugrana, who could take the Dutchman on loan and would therefore hardly have to incur any costs. Barcelona are still dealing with financial problems, which means that a transfer fee and a mega salary cannot simply be spent.
Van de Beek is eagerly looking for playing time and his name has already been mentioned at Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Galatasaray and Real Sociedad. In conversation with De Telegraaf, the midfielder previously indicated that he was considering a winter departure from Man Utd.
“There comes a time when you have to make a choice,” said Van de Beek. “I have to start playing matches very soon, if not at Manchester United, then at another club. I think this is a healthy ambition.”
Barca are long-term admirers
It is not the first time that Van de Beek has been linked with a transfer to Barcelona. According to Sport, the ex-Ajax player was also on the wish list of the Spanish top club three years ago, after the Blaugrana had already strengthened themselves with De Jong a year earlier.
However, Barcelona lacked the financial resources to pull off a transfer at the time, so Van de Beek left for Manchester United for €39 million and a potential €5m in bonuses.
The move to Old Trafford was not a success and little remains of the investment according to the FootballTransfers algorithm. While Van de Beek was sold for almost €40m three years ago, he currently only boasts an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €7.2m. In January 2021, the midfielder peaked at an ETV of a whopping €55 million.
