Manchester United’s hopes of offloading fringe midfielder Donny van de Beek to Real Sociedad have taken a hit amid stalled talks, 90min understands.
Van de Beek was a Ballon d’Or nominee in 2019 thanks to his starring role for Erik ten Hag’s Ajax team on their journey to getting within seconds of the Champions League final.
But a cruel combination of difficulty adapting to more physical English football, injuries, poor form and a lack of confidence has seen the Dutchman struggle to make an impact at Old Trafford, even after being reunited with former boss and mentor Ten Hag last season.
As 90min has reported, Van de Beek has been exploring his options to leave throughout the summer, with his agents in contact with a number of European clubs. That follow decisions from Ten Hag, who retains a healthy relationship, and the club to give him permission to move on.
In addition to AC Milan, Inter and Roma, there was Premier League interest from Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, plus from Celtic north of the Scottish border.
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An offer from Real Sociedad came in early August, with the Spanish club proposing a loan with option to buy ahead of their return to the Champions League this season.
However, a problem has arisen. 90min understands that the two clubs have so far been unable to come to an agreement over the exact make up of the deal. Van de Beek himself remains particularly keen and so there is still an underlying expectation that it will happen, but there is now a threat of Real Sociedad potentially walking away altogether.
United have already successfully offloaded Fred to Fenerbahce, raising £13m in the process, and departures from the midfield are important to free up space on the wage bill as the club continues to target Fiorentina and Morocco star Sofyan Amrabat.
Overall, spending at Old Trafford so far this summer on Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund is already close to £180m once add-ons are taken into account.
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