Donny van de Beek could finally be set to leave Manchester United, with Crystal Palace among the clubs reportedly keeping tabs on the midfielder.
According to 90min, Donny van de Beek is set to leave Manchester United this summer, with his representatives in talks with several European clubs to sort out his next destination. There is also considerable interest from Premier League outfits, with Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace among those monitoring the former Ajax star.
The Dutchman has never managed to adjust to life at Old Trafford or English football in general. Having played so brilliantly for Ajax, particularly in the Champions League, the midfielder arrived at United in 2020 to plenty of fanfare and for just £35.7 million, which was at the time considered a coup.
Fast forward three years later, Van de Beek has only made 60 appearances for United and has struggled with both form and fitness. He played ten games during the 2022/23 campaign, six of which came from the bench.
Many people were sceptical when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer bought Van de Beek since United already had Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes, and Nemanja Matic at the time.
The 26-year-old was then loaned out to Everton but failed to shine at Goodison Park. Erik ten Hag’s arrival at United was tipped to be the saviour of Van de Beek’s career after their successful stint together at Ajax.
A change of face in the Old Trafford dugout has made no true difference, and he must move on for the sake of his career. He will struggle to play regularly for United with Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Fernandes, and now Mason Mount ahead of him in the pecking order.
Van de Beek will not be short of suitors despite seeing his value nosedive. Clubs across England and Europe are interested in making a move for the Dutch playmaker. One of the interested clubs is Crystal Palace.
The Eagles have already let the experienced central midfield duo of James McArthur and Luka Milivojevic leave the club on a free transfer this summer. Meanwhile, fellow midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga has returned to Arsenal after his loan at Crystal Palace expired.
As a consequence, the club definitely needs to bolster their midfield department, and they have done well to snap up Jefferson Lerma on a free transfer, but another slightly technical central midfielder would be a shrewd piece of business from the club’s hierarchy.
The issue with signing Van de Beek is that he’ll be deemed too much of a risk unless he’s available on a loan deal. What’s more, Palace aren’t the only club keen on acquiring Van de Beek’s services, with Inter, AC Milan, Roma, Nottingham Forest, Celtic, and Sevilla all credited with an interest in the player.
With so many clubs interested, it’s undoubtedly a very tough task for the Eagles to win the race as well as convince the player, with a lot of the clubs who want to sign him set to play in European competitions next season, which Palace simply can’t offer.
