Real Madrid have reportedly reached an agreement with Donny van de Beek, with the Ajax star touted to be an alternative option to Paul Pogba.
Spanish publication Marca have speculated that Donny van de Beek has agreed personal terms with Real Madrid over the prospect of a transfer in the current window. The report adds that Real Madrid only have to negotiate and agree on a transfer fee with Ajax to complete the move.
But, there are other reports that state Real Madrid have an agreement in place now with Ajax and the player, which seems to be an addendum to the aforementioned report of the club agreeing personal terms with van de Beek.
No @marca e @diarioas sai o interesse do Real Madrid pelo holandês van de Beek, do Ajax.
Pelo que apurei, a coisa vai mais longe: já existe uma proposta aceita pelo clube holandês e jogador. van de Beek deve assinar por 5 ou 6 anos nos próximos dias. Negociação já existe há dias
— Marcelo Bechler (@marcelobechler) August 2, 2019
Journalist Marcelo Bechler has even gone on to the extent of stating that the talks have been ongoing for a while now and van de Beek is due to pen a five to six-year contract with Real Madrid in the coming days.
Donny van de Beek has not managed to garner as much attention to his talent as his 2018-19 club teammate and fellow countryman Frenkie de Jong. The latter completed his move to Barcelona while van de Beek had been linked with Real Madrid for a while now.
In contrast, van de Beek had a brilliant season himself, with 9 goals and 10 assists in the Eredivisie itself. The Dutch midfielder was as influential, if not more, for Ajax. Real Madrid seem to have finally made up their mind and agreed a deal for the 22-year-old.
Los Blancos have had a pre-season to forget. While Florentino Perez has splashed the cash to bring in quality players like Luka Jovic, Eden Hazard and Eder Militao, the performances on the pitch so far have been underwhelming. Luka Modric just isn’t his own self anymore while the others don’t look like they are ready to step up to the plate and replace the Croat.
Zinedine Zidane has been rumoured to be interested in bringing in compatriot Paul Pogba to solve the midfield issues. But, with Manchester United slapping exorbitant price tags on the Frenchman, van de Beek seems to be the alternative.
A closer look though, would make van de Beek the primary target. The Dutchman had more contribution if we discount Paul Pogba’s penalties. And overall, van de Beek is a player of a similar mould of Modric, who likes to spray passes and play the little one-twos.
Pogba is more of an attacking central midfielder instead of being a sole creative head, which is what Real Madrid need. Donny van de Beek looks to be heading to the Bernabeu ahead of the 2019-20 campaign and it will be interesting to see if Real Madrid still look to pursue a deal for Pogba.
