Real Madrid line up Van de Beek for next season
After a deal for the 22-year-old was put on hold in the transfer window, Madrid have told the midfielder they will come back in for him in the summer of 2020.
Zinedine Zidane's dogged pursuit of Paul Pogba this summer meant Real Madrid had to put finding a midfield alternative on the backburner. One such alternative is Dutch mifielder Donny Van de Beek, a player Madrid will reportedly come back in for during next summer's transfer window.
Van de Beek and Ajax negotiations
The Ajax youth product has been in Madrid's sights for some time and, after a potential deal fizzled out, those at the top of the club feel that another year at Ajax for the 22-year-old would be beneficial in terms of experience and game-time. Ajax were willing to negotiate for the player in the summer, despite selling De Jong and De Ligt, to Barcelona and Juventus respectively. In the Netherlands it was widely believed that Van de Beek would fetch 50 million euros, a sum that could rise next season should the midfielder repeat his impressive 2018-19 campaign, with 17 goals and 13 assists.
Zidane's say
On 2 August, the Dutch midfielder admitted interest from Real Madrid: "Yes, Real Madrid are interested in me. But you go really fast," he said as Los Blancos' negotiations with Manchester United for Paul Pogba started to reach an impasse. Nevertheless, Zidane cooled interest in the 22-year-old in the belief that only Pogba was the missing piece in his midfield puzzle. In a similar situation to Kepa, who had almost signed on the dotted line but was ruled out by Zidane and his preference for Keylor, Van de Beek was told around 10 August that Madrid were pulling out of a deal, one which will now have to wait until next season.