Harry Maguire and Donny van de Beek of Man Utd
Erik ten Hag could still get another Manchester United outcast out of his squad even though the summer transfer window has shut, with Donny van de Beek actively seeking a move to Turkey, according to reports.
Van De Beek has been linked with several clubs after finding out he is not in Ten Hag’s plans for the 2023-24 campaign. There were rumours of a return to Ajax, but these were soon shut down by Fabrizio Romano.
At one stage, it was thought that Real Sociedad were the frontrunners to sign the central midfielder. However, a switch to Spain never materialised.
On Monday, French newspaper L’Equipe provided an intriguing report looking into Van De Beek’s failed move to Lorient. The Ligue 1 outfit contacted Van De Beek earlier in the summer to discuss a potential transfer, but he snubbed their advances in order to hold out for a bigger team.
When no other offer came though, the Dutchman’s camp went back to Lorient to see if an agreement could be reached. Lorient, understandably, pulled out of such talks straight away.
Van De Beek resultantly stayed at Man Utd beyond Friday’s transfer deadline for English clubs. Although, he could still be offered an escape route out of the club.
According to Turkish source A Spor (as cited by Sport Witness), Fenerbahce are on the hunt for a player who can operate in a variety of midfield roles, from defensive midfield to just behind the centre-forward. And they have set their sights on Van De Beek to fill this void.
As the Turkish window does not shut until September 15, Fenerbahce have a good amount of time to reach agreements with both Man Utd and the player himself.
Donny van de Beek hoping for new experience
The report even goes as far as stating that Van De Beek is ‘looking forward to leaving’ Man Utd, following a troublesome three-year spell in England.
However, Van De Beek will have to greenlight a big sacrifice if he is to leave Man Utd in the near future. He will not be able to play in any European competition such as the Champions League, Europa League or Europa Conference League.
Fenerbahce have qualified for the Europa Conference League, but they had to submit their squad for the competition on Monday so Van De Beek will not be included.
Fenerbahce will be able to re-evaluate their squad in January, which means the 26-year-old might be able to feature in Europe in the second half of the season. But there is no guarantee Fenerbahce will still be in the Europa Conference League at that point in the campaign.
Ten Hag will be happy if Man Utd manage to offload the 26-year-old. The pair had a great relationship during their time together at Ajax, but Van De Beek has not been able to make a significant impact for Man Utd due to both injuries and fierce competition for places.
