Arsenal were among the clubs interested in Donny van de Beek before his move to Man Utd, according to the former Ajax player’s agent.
The 23-year-old moved to Old Trafford on Wednesday for £34.1million, which could rise to £38.5m, on an initial five-year deal to become Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first new recruit of the summer.
He will head to Manchester to join his new Man Utd team-mates after the Netherlands’ upcoming Nations League double-header with Poland and Italy.
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Real Madrid were interested in signing Van de Beek and his agent, Sjaak Swart, has now revealed Los Blancos had an agreement to sign the Dutchman before the coronavirus pandemic, while Arsenal were also interested.
“There were many clubs interested in Van de Beek,” Swart told Marca.
“There was Madrid, Barca, Juve, Arsenal… in March everything was ready for him to go to Real Madrid, but with the pandemic everything was postponed. The clubs have no income. The whole scene changed.”
Van de Beek played an important role in Ajax’s thrilling run to last year’s Champions League semi-finals, while he has established himself at international level for the Netherlands.
On signing for Man Utd, Van de Beek said: “I cannot begin to explain how incredible an opportunity it is to join a club with such an amazing history.
“I would like to thank everyone at Ajax, I grew up there and I will always have a special bond with the club.
“I am now ready to take the next step in my career and perform at the highest level and there is no higher standard than Manchester United.
“Everyone has told me how amazing the Old Trafford atmosphere is and I am looking forward to experiencing that, once it is safe for the fans to return.
“This team has some of the best midfielders in the world and I know that I can learn from them and also bring my own strengths to the group.
“Having spoken to the manager about his vision for this team, the direction that the club is going in is hugely exciting and I cannot wait to be a part of that.”
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