Man Utd 'set asking price' for Donny van de Beek amid Real Madrid interest
By Tom Gott
Manchester United are open to letting midfielder Donny van de Beek leave the club this summer, with Real Madrid the latest side to express an interest in the Dutchman.
Van de Beek was heavily linked with a move to Real last summer but surprisingly ended up joining United in a £40m deal which quickly turned sour as he was handed just four Premier League starts in his debut season.
United are expected to listen to offers for Van de Beek this summer, and the Daily Star claim Real have reached out over a deal to finally bring the Dutchman over to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real are believed to have enquired about bringing Van de Beek in on loan, given they aren't exactly overflowing with cash and are still trying to sign PSG's Kylian Mbappe, but they would be prepared to pay up for him next season.
As the story goes, United are open to the idea and have told Real that they will have to pay a £2m fee this summer to land Van de Beek for one season, but only if they commit to buying him permanently next year.
United are expected to demand that they recover almost the entirety of their £40m outlay on Van de Beek, suggesting that Real would have to agree to an obligation to buy Van de Beek permanently for around £35m.
There has also been a loan enquiry from Ajax, but that has been knocked back by United as the Dutch side are unwilling to agree to the obligation to buy Van de Beek permanently next summer.
Van de Beek is not thought to be desperate to leave Old Trafford, instead believing that he has unfinished business at the club, but he would not be against leaving United if the right proposal arrived.
His chances of regular minutes at United appear slim because of the presence of Bruno Fernandes, who has been outstanding since joining the club in January 2020 and is expected to dominate the minutes at the attacking midfield position.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must also make a decision on the future of Jesse Lingard, who excelled in the same position as Van de Beek while on loan with West Ham United last season.