Donny van de Beek's exit from Man Utd is now '99.9% done'

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·18 December 2023

Donny van de Beek's exit from Man Utd is now '99.9% done'

Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek’s loan move to Eintracht Frankfurt is “99.9% done”, as transfer expert Fabrizio Romano exclusively provides GIVEMESPORT with the inside track on the deal at Old Trafford.

Erik ten Hag has failed to find a regular role for the midfielder in his Red Devils squad and is set to leave the club on an initial loan deal until the end of the 2023/24 season.

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Van de Beek will be disappointed at his lack of impact at the Theatre of Dreams in just over three years and will hope to get his career back on track in the Bundesliga. Man Utd head into the 2024 winter transfer window struggling in the Premier League and having exited European competition already, after finishing bottom of their Champions League group.

Van de Beek’s time at Man Utd

Manchester United confirmed the signing of van de Beek from Ajax in September 2020 for a fee rising to £39m. The 26-year-old signed a five-year contract at Old Trafford, having caught the attention of some of European football’s powerhouses during his time in Amsterdam.

Van de Beek first captured the continent's attention during his impressive showings during Ajax’s memorable run to the Champions League semi-finals during the 2018/19 season. The Dutchman remained with the Eredivisie giants for another despite reported interest from across Europe before eventually moving to United, then managed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The midfielder scored a goal in his debut against Crystal Palace but struggled to nail down a regular place in the side. Unfortunately for van de Beek, he would make just a combined 16 more Premier League appearances over the following three seasons, despite the club employing former Ajax head coach ten Hag ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

Earlier in December, Romano revealed that Eintracht Frankfurt were leading the race to sign the Nijkerkerveen-born star on loan until the end of the 2023/24 season, with La Liga outfit Girona also interested. Three days later, the transfer expert confirmed a verbal agreement for van de Beek to sign for Frankfurt was in place. The deal consists of a loan move until June, with a €15m (£13m) option to buy included in the terms. A permanent deal is not obligatory, but the 2022 Europa League winners will pay Man Utd a loan fee.

It could be the first move at the beginning of the end of van de Beek’s career in the Premier League, having struggled to transfer his form from the Netherlands to England. The news corroborates with Romano recently insisting to GIVEMESPORT (3rd December) that van de Beek would be the next player to leave Manchester United.

Fabrizio Romano on Donny van de Beek

Romano feels that the opportunity provided for van de Beek by Eintracht is a “great one” and that the Dutchman was keen to return to playing regular football. The transfer expert also reveals that he had a direct conversation with the club’s manager, Dino Toppmoller. Romano told GIVEMESPORT on Monday afternoon:

“I think this opportunity to go to Eintracht Frankfurt is a great one. Van de Beek had many opportunities and the chance to wait, probably for some super big club to look for some opportunity on loan maybe in and towards the end of January. But he wanted to go. Van de Beek wanted to try something different and be part of a starting lineup regularly. Eintracht offered that, and he had a direct conversation with the manager, which was crucial. So, now the deal is 99.9% done.”

Man Utd news on Erik ten Hag’s future

After finishing third in the Premier League during the 2022/23 season in his first campaign at the helm, ten Hag will have hoped to see progression this term. The Red Devils coupled their solid top-flight showing with an FA Cup final appearance and winning the Carabao Cup. However, an early exit from Europe has piled the pressure on ten Hag, who sees his Man Utd side sitting seventh in the Premier League before their trip to West Ham United on 23rd December.

According to a report published by Football Insider before United’s 0-0 stalemate at Liverpool on 17th December, the Dutch head coach’s position at Old Trafford is safe until Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority 25% takeover of the club is completed. The INEOS chairman’s buyout could take up to eight weeks, with the Englishman expected to take control of football operations at the Theatre of Dreams.

United travel to the London Stadium to take on West Ham on 23rd December before hosting high-flying Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Boxing Day. Ten Hag’s side close out 2023 with a trip to Nottingham Forest, hoping to end a year of mixed fortunes on a high.