Manchester United are working on a permanent exit for Donny van de Beek this summer with the midfielder keen for a fresh start after four years at the club.
Van de Beek spent the second half of last season on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt but he started just four games and the Bundesliga side decided against taking up the option to buy him for £9.5m.
The former Ajax midfielder has now returned to United and will report for pre-season training at Carrington on Monday (July 8), with a permanent departure the target for all parties during this window.
Van de Beek has just one year remaining on the contract he signed when joining from Ajax for £35m in August 2020 and that means another loan away from Old Trafford has been ruled out, as he would be available to move on a free transfer once a loan ends. He could talk to clubs overseas about a free transfer from January 1.
United want to recoup some of the fee they paid Ajax for Van de Beek and won’t let him leave for free this summer, but his contract situation is so far putting off potential suitors.
Van de Beek was visited in Frankfurt by United’s then-football director John Murtough and Matt Hargreaves, the club’s director of football negotiations, not long before Murtough left his role in April. It was indicated then that finding a solution for a permanent transfer this summer would be a priority,
With Erik ten Hag staying on as manager there is no expectation of Van de Beek being part of the first-team squad next season, especially as United have signed Mason Mount since Van de Beek last played for the club, while Kobbie Mainoo has also made his first-team breakthrough.
United could also be in the market for another midfielder this summer, with Paris St-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte linked with Old Trafford. Mount is expected to play a more prominent role after an injury-hit first season.
A knee injury picked up midway through Ten Hag’s first season ended any chance of Van de Beek establishing himself at United. He hasn’t played a full 90 minutes since doing so for Everton in March 2022 and in his four seasons at Old Trafford he has made just 62 appearances, scoring two and registering two assists.
