MY ACCOUNT
Donny van de Beek is finally close to ending his Manchester United nightmare with three clubs reported to have had loan offers accepted for the midfielder.
Crystal Palace are known to hold a strong interest in the player and the Manchester Evening News say the Eagles are one of the sides in talks with the 24-year-old.
However, they face competition from another unnamed Premier League club and a team overseas, with the final destination set to be decided by Van de Beek himself.
The Red Devils have insisted that his £140,000k-per-week wages are covered in full, while a loan fee is also likely to be part of any final agreement.
Ralf Rangnick was keen to keep Van de Beek in his squad, but the Dutchman has pushed hard for a move in a desperate attempt to secure regular playing time.
With the Qatar World Cup now less than 10 months away, he believes he needs to be featuring regularly to get back into his national boss Louis van Gaal’s thoughts.
Van Gaal has omitted him from the last three Oranje squads and it seems that the United hierarchy have now sympathised with the player’s predicament.
Having fought off several other clubs for his signature, Van de Beek’s arrival at Old Trafford for £35million in September 2020 was seen as something of a coup for the Red Devils.
Yet his spell in Manchester has been an unmitigated disaster, managing only four Premier League starts across the last two campaigns.
Axed United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had supposedly promised the midfielder more opportunities this term and Rangnick’s arrival in the dugout last November was touted as a fresh start.
Yet his only top-flight minutes under the 63-year-old to date have been injury-time cameos and a change of scene now looks inevitable.
In other news
Reims striker Hugo Ekitike is now a top target for West Ham, though the French club are willing to hold out for £25m before selling the 19-year-old.
Sky Sports suggest that talks have already commenced between the two clubs for the youngster, who has scored eight goals in 10 Ligue 1 appearances this term and was previously attracting interest from Newcastle.
Everton have enquired about taking Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek on loan, though Thomas Tuchel is keen for the 26-year-old to stay put at Stamford Bridge.
According to the Daily Mail, the Toffees want Loftus-Cheek to help bolster their injury-stricken midfield and believe he could be tempted having not featured in the top flight since mid-December.
Paul Pogba could perform a spectacular U-turn and commit his future to Manchester United — if Ralf Rangnick remains in charge at Old Trafford beyond this season.
The 28-year-old Frenchman is out contract at the end of the campaign and has long been expected to depart for pastures new, but the Sun say his good relationship with Rangnick is prompting a change of heart.
