Manchester United's Donny van de Beek has already been "in contact with Real Sociedad", but now the Spanish club have "approached" United as well, as both sides look to sort out a deal, per transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.
Is Donny van de Beek leaving Manchester United?
After bringing in the likes of Mason Mount, Andre Onana, and potentially Rasmus Hojlund, the Red Devils look like they're now turning their attention to outgoings, with Dutch midfielder Van de Beek likely on the way out.
The 26-year-old has had a torrid time at Old Trafford since joining in the summer of 2020, making just 34 Premier League appearances for the club and 60 in all competitions over three seasons.
It is important to remember, however, that this lack of game time hasn't come from a lack of effort or ability on his part; he has just been incredibly unlucky with injuries since arriving in England, suffering six separate setbacks.
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In total, he has spent 314 days with an injury since leaving Ajax and has missed 60 games during that time.
However, he could be in for a fresh start on the continent as La Liga outfit Real Sociedad have already agreed on personal terms with him and have now opened communications with United, per transfers expert Romano.
He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:
"Donny van de Beek [is] in contact with Real Sociedad. Sociedad approached Man United on Tuesday night for the first time in terms of official contact to discuss the conditions of the deal, so let's see now how the conversation is going to be on the verbal [side] of the deal and then we'll know more."
How good is Donny van de Beek?
While his time at United has been an unmitigated disaster, albeit mainly through injury, Van de Beek has proven that he does have the raw ingredients to make it at a reasonable level in European football.
His final three seasons for Ajax in the Eredivisie were exceptional and more than justified his move to the Red Devils. According to WhoScored, the 26-year-old did not dip below a season rating of 7.23 during those three years, and in his final campaign, he averaged a seriously impressive rating of 7.41.
The £120k-per-week ace was also a genuine goal threat in his home country, scoring 28 goals and providing 22 assists in just 91 games across those final three years, meaning he was producing a goal involvement every 1.8 games in the league.
The Nijkerkerveen-born dynamo was thought of so highly by the Dutch that it's not surprising to see that he was hailed by Wesley Sneijder after completing his move to the Premier League, saying:
"He is a complete player. I really like his running actions. He is someone who makes space, has a lot of depth and always looks for the right moments to go deep.
"He is always in the right place and always keeps playing football."
It's a real shame that injury and misfortune had such a negative impact on van de Beek's time in England, and hopefully, a move to La Liga can benefit all parties involved.