Barcelona want forgotten Man Utd star to complete 2020 Red Devils' transfer plan

05 December 2023 , 18:29

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Donny van de Beek is set to leave Manchester United in January (Image: Joe Prior/Visionhaus)

Manchester United could finally offload Donny van de Beek in the January transfer window, with Barcelona providing a destination tinged with irony.

Van de Beek has played just 21 minutes of football across two appearances for United this season and has not made it onto the pitch since September. The 26-year-old midfielder is nowhere near Erik ten Hag’s first-team thoughts, despite their poor form, and looks set to depart the club in the New Year.

But with a contract valid until June 2025, United are unlikely to be inundated with offers for the Dutchman, who has returned just two goals and two assists in 62 appearances since joining from Ajax for £40million in 2020. Thankfully, help might be at hand, with Barcelona reportedly keen on signing him.

Spanish newspaper Sport says that Barca are considering a move for Van de Beek in January following a serious injury to Gavi. The 19-year-old midfielder suffered an ACL injury while playing for Spain last month, leaving Xavi short of options in the middle of the park.

Van de Beek is among the options Barca are reportedly considering, while Juventus are also said to be exploring a move for United’s forgotten man. The Italian side would offer to take him on loan until the end of the current season, with an option to buy should he impress.

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If Barca push forward with a move for Van de Beek in January, it would see him reunited with his former Ajax team-mate Frenkie de Jong in Catalonia. The midfield duo both made their names while playing for Ajax, with their performances helping the side reach the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2018/19.

Frenkie de Jong has frequently been linked with a move to Manchester United (Getty Images)

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That run was overseen by Erik ten Hag, who was keen to bring De Jong to United in the summer of 2022 once he took over the reins. De Jong had moved from Ajax to Barca for £65million in 2019 and proved to be a tough nut to crack.

United spent the summer of 2022 chasing De Jong, who was Ten Hag’s top transfer target following the departures of Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic, but were ultimately left empty-handed. They agreed an initial £56m fee with Barcelona in July but failed to negotiate personal terms with the midfielder, who was keen to stay put.

That was not the first time that United had shown an interest in De Jong either, with the Premier League club previously chasing him in 2020. And as Mirror Football reported, United were attracted to Ten Hag in the first place due to his work with players like Van de Beek and De Jong.

They believed that signing De Jong would help ease Ten Hag into life at Old Trafford. Now it seems that after years of chasing De Jong, his former Ajax team-mate could in fact be heading to Spain to complete the plan at Barcelona, rather than United.

Felix Keith