Manchester United outcast Daley Blind is closing in on a return to former club Ajax to end his recent Old Trafford nightmare with an expected €21 million deal.
Manchester United are reported to have agreed to a deal from Ajax to take Daley Blind back to the Eredivisie to the tune of €21 million, according to Goal. The versatile defender is ready to call it quits on his time at Old Trafford as he seeks more playing time, something that he is sure to not get under Jose Mourinho.
Ajax are seemingly ready to pay €21 million to re-sign one of their former stars, although the deal is thought to be for an initial €16 million and the rest will come in the form of add-ons and performance-based payments. Blind, on the other hand, is also believed to be keen on a return to the Netherlands, with Ajax his preferred option there.
Daley Blind has spent four years at Manchester United and was signed when Louis Van Gaal was in charge of the club. He was hired as a first team player and in his first season played a prominent role in most games from central midfield. The very next season, Van Gaal shifted him back into a defensive position at the back.
Since then he has failed to settle in on one position at the club, and with time has taken up a role of a bit part player. Under Mourinho, he has failed to establish either as a regular or even a position from the bench, with his appearance numbers dropping drastically in the two seasons under the Portuguese.
Having appeared 60 times in the Premier League before Mourinho’s appointment, Blind has played only 30 times since the former Chelsea boss arrived. Last season, however, Blind appeared in only 7 Premier League games, while starting just four of those.
Ajax confirmed their interest earlier for the versatile Dutchman, but have been waiting to see what Mourinho decides to do with the player. Now it appears that the Portuguese is all set to cut his ties with Blind and allow him to leave the club.
If the deal goes through, then United will not face any losses as they would have recouped more than the £17 million they paid for his services four years ago. But to get their hands on the full €21 million, they would be hoping Blind performs to his full potential at Amsterdam.
