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What’s the story?
Real Madrid have been linked to Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek recently, but Los Blancos have made it clear that the Dutch champions' asking price for the youngster has got to come down, before progress is made in talks. The Spanish giants have identified van de Beek as an ideal alternative if they fail in their pursuit of Paul Pogba.
In case you didn’t know…
Ajax have already sold Frenkie de Jong and are all set to finalise a move away for their captain Matthijs de Ligt who has reportedly finalized agreed terms with Juventus. Ajaxwill garner around €75 million and therefore are in no haste to offload their other star players.
van de Beek scored 17 goals and provided 13 assists for Ajax during the 2018-19 season, including four goals and two assists in the Champions League.
The heart of the matter
If reports coming out of Spain are believed, Real Madrid have turned their attention towards van de Beek as Manchester United are playing hardball over Pogba. Los Blancos are weighing the Ajax star due to his relatively low cost compared to the Frenchman.
Van de Beek is keen on a move to the Bernabeu, but Real Madrid are finding it difficult to do business with Ajax as they have slapped a €65 million price tag and the Spanish side want that figure to go down to €50 million.
The midfielder had a starring role in Ajax's dream run in the UEFA Champions League last campaign as they reached the last four.
Real Madrid have not stepped up their pursuit of the Dutch youngster, as they would first like to get a clear picture of United's stance on Pogba. Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in signing the Ajax star, and the French championscould offer the asking price set by the Dutch side.
What's next?
Zinedine Zidane had already made it clear that he admires Pogba and therefore it looks like he will go down the wire to get his man. In case the deal does not materialize, Real will pursue van de Beek's signature.
