Donny Van De Beek Reveals Transfer Agreement With Other Club Before Manchester United Signing

By Mike Parrott

Donny Van De Beek has revealed that he had agreed to join a different club at the start of 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic made the deal fall through. The Dutchman has joined Manchester United for a deal that will total up to £40 million if add-ons are met.

Manchester United have had quite the affiliation with Dutch players.

From the likes of Jaap Stam, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Edwin Van Der Sar, and Robin Van Persie, Donny Van De Beek will be hoping to have as much of an impact as his fellow countryman did at the club.

Signing with the Manchester club for a fee of €40 million with €5 million in add-ons, which is the equivalent of £40 million in total, Van De Beek will become an integral cog into United's new-look midfield.

With reports of the Dutchman being thoroughly impressed by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Solskjaer being the only manager to directly talk to him, Van De Beek quickly signed on the dotted line.

He will also take the #34 shirt at United to commemorate his long-time friend, Abdelhak Nouri.

However, he nearly joined a different club, and would currently be there if the COVID-19 pandemic didn't happen.

According to his agent Sjaak Swart, Van De Beek had an agreement in place with Real Madrid to join this summer.

"There were many clubs interested in Van de Beek," Swart told Marca.

"There was Madrid, Barça, Juve, Arsenal...in March everything was ready for him to go to Real Madrid, but with the pandemic everything was postponed. The clubs have no income. The whole scene changed."

A fee had been agreed for around the same price United have paid however, the Dutchman is excited to start his new challenge in England after developing through Ajax from a child to the man he is today.

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