Ajax chief Edwin van der Sar has confirmed that a verbal agreement has long been in place for Donny van de Beek to depart the club this summer.
Ajax standout
Van de Beek, 23, has established himself as one of Dutch football’s most highly-regarded talents over the last couple of seasons.
The goalscoring midfielder is a product of Ajax’s famed youth academy, with van de Beek having gone on to play a starring role in the club’s first-team setup since first emerging onto the scene during the 2016-17 campaign.
The 9-time capped international directly contributed to a hugely-impressive 36 Eredivisie goals over the course of the last two seasons combined, the 2nd of which saw Ajax dethrone champions PSV Eindhoven.
While his domestic exploits have proven of the highest standard for some time now, however, what saw van de Beek begin to truly catch the eye throughout Europe were the Dutchman’s performances in the Champions League last season.
The talented youngster played an integral role in the Ajax side that shocked the masses en route to the competition’s semi-finals, notching crucial goals versus the likes of Juventus and Tottenham.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 30: Donny van de Beek of Ajax celebrates scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final first leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 30, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Getty Images)
The current campaign, meanwhile, has seen van de Beek continue to impress, with 14 goals and 7 assists across all competitions.
‘Nothing has changed’
The 2019/20 season, however, is expected to come as the midfield creator’s last at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.
While Ajax managed to hold onto van de Beek last summer despite the departures of the likes of Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt, it has long been widely-acknowledged that the 23-year-old will likely be snapped up by one of European football’s heavyweights over the coming months.
Real Madrid were hotly-tipped as a potential destination for van de Beek last year, with outlets in Europe having since gone as far as to claim that an agreement is already in place to finally take the Dutchman to the Bernabeu once the current campaign comes to a close.
Such speculation, though, was recently shut down by van de Beek himself, who assured that he is yet to make a decision on his future.
This, in turn, has seemingly reopened the race for the Ajax man’s signature, with reports stemming from Spain having hinted at serious interest on the part of Premier League giants Manchester United.
And, as outlined above, another major development regarding van de Beek’s future has today been forthcoming.
When drawn on the club’s plans for of a trio of stars, including van de Beek, Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar revealed that a verbal agreement has long been in place to ‘find the next step in their careers’ this summer:
‘Last year, we made verbal agreements with [Andre] Onana, [Nicolas] Tagliafico and Van de Beek to stay another season, and then we look to help each other and find the next step in their careers. Nothing has changed.’
The former Manchester United goalkeeper, though, significantly, added:
‘There won’t be a 50 per cent discount. The clubs can forget about that.’
Could Donny van de Beek be Premier League-bound
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 9, 2020
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