Real Madrid have halted their pursuit of Dutch international midfielder Donny van de Beek.
The 23-year-old Ajax favourite has been a key player for the Eredivisie side since coming through their academy, and has been on Real’s wishlist – notably as a cheaper alternative to Paul Pogba – for over a year.
Manchester United are among the other clubs who have been linked with a move for Van De Beek, but 90min have been told that Van de Beek’s €50m asking price is among the reasons he isn’t a priority for the Red Devils this summer, who are still in pursuit of Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish and Jude Bellingham.
Speaking to Veronica Inside, journalist Valentijn Driessen of De Telegraaf stated: “I now hear that Real Madrid is backtracking. The chance that he will go to Real Madrid is nil.”
Driessen expanded on the situation that the La Liga giants find themselves in.
“The transfer fee was fixed. He was allowed to go for €50m. In fact, everything was round. It was only about the medical examination. Real Madrid has many expensive players. They also [continue to] renovate the stadium. That costs €300m and they have €300m. When they buy players, they get players that they know are there right away and that are interesting from a marketing perspective.”
With ex-teammates like Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt having already moved on to Barcelona and Juventus respectively, Van de Beek has played in a weaker Ajax outfit this year, failing to qualify from their Champions League group after the heroics of the season previous, when they put out Juventus and Real Madrid.
Let’