Man Utd hold talks to sign 23y/o star as Solskjaer looks to kick-off summer business

Manchester United have held talks over a potential deal to sign Donny van de Beek but face stiff competition to land the £49m-rated Ajax star, according to reports via the Express.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has endured a frustrating summer so far as he’s yet to sign any of his prime transfer targets with the Manchester club struggling to agree deals for the likes of Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish.

However, Solskjaer knows he needs to strengthen his ranks if United are to compete with the likes of Liverpool and Man City this season as his lack of squad depth was exposed during the latter stages of the 2019/20 campaign.

Manchester United were knocked out of the FA Cup and Europa League at the semi-final stages after key players appeared to run out of steam so Solskjaer is expected to bring in a few players before the window shuts to improve the quality of his squad.

United have been linked with van de Beek in recent months and it seems they’ve stepped-up their pursuit as the Express are citing a report from SPORT that claims Man Utd have been in touch with Ajax to discuss a possible deal.

However, they aren’t the only club in the running as the Spanish outlet says Tottenham have also expressed their interest while Real Madrid remain in the hunt having been tipped as favourites earlier in the summer.

United may have their work cut out persuading the 23-year-old to come to Old Trafford as SPORT says that van de Beek favours a switch to the Nou Camp and is waiting for Barcelona to make their move.

However, the Catalans have financial problems and will need to resolve Lionel Messi’s future before they even think about splashing the cash on van de Beek so this could open the door for Manchester United to steal a march on their rivals.

The Express says van de Beek is valued at £49m by Ajax and United have the financial muscle to meet that valuation, and the Dutch international would be a cheaper alternative to Grealish – who’s reported valued at over £70m by Aston Villa.

Van de Beek would be an excellent addition to Man Utd’s squad if they could get a deal agreed as he’s been one of the most exciting attacking midfielders in Europe over the past two years.

He scored 10 goals and provided a further 11 assists in 37 games last season to help Ajax retain the title so he’d help lighten the load on the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba if he sealed a move to Old Trafford.