Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are reportedly going head-to-head for the signature of Manchester United outcast Donny van de Beek.
According to Turkish publication A Spor, the long-standing rivalry between the clubs will translate to the transfer market after Fenerbahce joined the race to sign the Dutchman.
Van de Beek’s future at Old Trafford is dead in the water after Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag omitted him from the Champions League squad, making his stance over his compatriot’s first-team prospects clear.
Following his senior breakthrough at Ajax under ten Hag, the 26-year-old moved to the Premier League as one of Europe’s hottest prospects in 2020.
However, the midfielder’s career in England has never taken off despite United making numerous attempts to spark his revival, including sending him on a six-month loan to Everton in the second half of 2021/22.
Ten Hag’s appointment last summer led many people to believe van de Beek’s underwhelming stint at the Theatre of Dreams could be handed a lifeline, but the Dutchman couldn’t reignite his compatriot’s career.
While the transfer window in the Premier League closed almost a week ago, the curtain drops on September 15 in Turkey, giving Man United hope they can still offload their £40 million flop.
No strangers to doing business with the Red Devils, Fenerbahce provided Fred with an escape route from Manchester earlier in the summer, landing the Brazilian on a four-year contract.
They hope to reunite the former Man United teammates at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, looking to hijack Galatasaray’s interest in Van de Beek.
Talks between Galatasaray and the troubled midfielder over a loan switch to Rams Park are underway, but Fenerbahce could disrupt their neighbours’ plans down the final stretch.
French outfit Toulouse had made an approach to sign Van de Beek earlier in the summer to replace Branco van de Boomen, who left Ligue 1 to link up with Ajax in June.
But the Man United misfit prefers a move to the Turkish Super Lig.
