Donny Van de Beek is set to become Manchester United’s first summer signing.
As Manchester United close in on signing Donny Van de Beek from AFC Ajax, Jadon Sancho who is considered to be the prime target for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is still open to a move to Old Trafford, despite negotiations with Borussia Dortmund entering a deadlock.
Man United have not yet given up hope on landing the English prodigy Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund. Previously, the talks between the clubs were understood to be progressing as per the desired pace, but negotiations hit a deadlock as the German chiefs refused to accept £108m fee in an amortised structure.
In spite of Dortmund insisting the deal now being off the table, Manchester United are still understood to be in dialogues with their Bundesliga counterparts via intermediaries. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is desperate to land Sancho, considering him a vital part of the Red Devils’ attack.
Donny van de Beek is set to leave Ajax to sign for Man Utd on a five-year contract. The transfer fee could reach €45M including bonuses, reports @telegraaf pic.twitter.com/VXxC3gDmJh
— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 30, 2020
Having laid substantial groundwork since last summer, Man United bosses are extremely eager to push the negotiations over the finishing line. However, the financial implications owing to the pandemic has stymied the transfer once poised to be a record-breaking deal for the Red Devils.
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"It’s important for United fans to know that he still wants to go to Manchester United.It’s just a question of money, if they pay €120million I think it’s a crazy amount of money during this time.I know Ed Woodward gets plenty of pressure from the fans, perhaps he has to pay it. (Christian Falk, The Beautiful Game Podcast)"
With the Jadon Sancho saga set to protract into the following weeks, Manchester United are multithreading their negotiations for transfer targets. This, perhaps, is the biggest evolution of the policy at Old Trafford since the arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
After Donny Van de Beek, it is understood that Manchester United are working towards a new defensive target. RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano is understood to be the target for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Villareal centre-back Pau Torres is being closely monitored, too.
To allow for a defensive acquisition, Man United are preparing to let go off a slew of first-team centre-halves, namely Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, and Marcos Rojo. Smalling is learnt to be close to a permanent move to AS Roma, starting with another one-year loan spell with an obligation to buy.