Donny van de Beek linked with move to Bayern Munich

As Manchester United officially enters its first transfer window under interim manager Ralf Rangnick, Donny van de Beek is one of the few players linked with a move away from Old Trafford this month.

According to The Hard Tackle, Bayern Munich is reportedly interested in signing the Dutchman, who could look to revamp his career at another one of Europe’s major clubs this winter.

Many fans thought the 24-year-old midfielder’s career at Old Trafford would be revived following the arrival of interim manager Ralf Rangnick on Dec. 2. Van de Beek rarely received significant playing time under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and he has only played a combined 361 minutes in 12 matches across all competitions this season.

However, the Dutchman’s lack of game time has yet to improve during Rangnick’s brief reign. The center midfielder has received just six minutes of game time under the German across two games—a four minute stint against Crystal Palace and a two-minute cameo against Norwich City. Van de Beek was an unused substitute against Newcastle United and Burnley last week.

Following United’s 3-1 victory against Burnley on Thursday, in which Scott McTominay scored and played his best game of the season in an advanced midfield role, many fans used #FreeDonny on social media to voice their frustrations about van de Beek’s lack of inclusion and suggest the club allows him to leave in January.

The report suggests van de Beek could replace Corentin Tolisso, who is linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur this month, in the reigning Bundesliga champions’ midfield. Van de Beek’s technical ability, football IQ, movement off the ball, attacking prowess, and passing and shooting range should allow him to fit well at Bayern, whose style of play is similar to Ajax.

Van de Beek has drawn interest from Premier League clubs like Newcastle United. He has also been on Real Madrid’s radar since he burst onto the scene as one of Europe’s most promising young players during his run to the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League semifinals with Ajax.

With the 2022 FIFA World Cup approaching next December, van de Beek has made it clear that he wants to regain his position in the Dutch national team, which he lost under Solskjaer.

In his press conference on Sunday, Rangnick said he spoke with the midfielder last week about his aim to return to international play for the Netherlands.

“He also wants to play for the Dutch national team to qualify for himself and play in the World Cup in Qatar, and, in order to do that, he needs that game time here,” Rangnick said.

The German manager added that, despite interest from the likes of Bayern, Real Madrid, and Newcastle, he believes van de Beek should stay at United until the end of the season and fight for more game time.

“I still believe we should keep him,” Rangnick said. “He should stay here definitely until the end of this season and try to get as much game time as he possibly can.”