Manchester United 'Ready to Hijack' Real Madrid's £45m Donny van de Beek Move

Manchester United are understood to be keen on stealing a march on Real Madrid in their pursuit of Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek.

Before the coronavirus outbreak, a move to Madrid felt like a near certainty for Van de Beek. Los Blancos were interested last summer as they considered alternatives to Manchester United's Paul Pogba, while that interest had been expected to carry over into 2020.

De Telegraaf go as far as to suggest that a €50m (£45m) fee has already been agreed between the two sides and Van de Beek has already agreed personal terms, leaving only a medical left to complete. However, now that the club don't have a bottomless pool of money, Real have taken a step back.

There are concerns that a €50m deal might not be smart business in a post-coronavirus world, and that has opened the door for United to swoop in.

The Red Devils are said to have reached out to Ajax earlier this week to discuss a deal, and the Dutch side would be happy to do business with United as they have grown frustrated with Real's hesitance towards the whole thing.

Van de Beek is also eager to figure out his next step. He has approved a move to Real but it yet to hear anything back, so the idea of sealing a confirmed move to United could appeal to him.

Of course, United have one real advantage in negotiations with Ajax. Legendary former goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, who spent six years at Old Trafford between 2005 and 2011, is the Dutch side's chief executive, and there is an optimism that he could help United in their pursuit of Van de Beek.

By the sounds of it, United might even have a free run at Van de Beek. Marca state that Real are planning a quiet summer, perhaps without any new arrivals, so that suggests they have pulled the plug on a move for the 23-year-old.

Van de Beek has just two years left on his current deal, so Ajax will likely be interested in selling this summer before his value starts to drop.

However, €50m might be a bit steep for United, who - as consistently reported by 90min - are still focussed on key targets Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish and Jude Bellingham.

There is also the issue of where Van de Beek would fit into United's midfield alongside both Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba.

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