Donny van de Beek’s dream move to Real Madrid may have been sunk by the coronavirus pandemic after his agent highlighted the uncertainty surrounding football at the moment.
A £47m deal to bring the 22-year-old midfielder from Ajax to the Santiago Bernabeu had reportedly been agreed in January, but transfers have been thrown into disarray by the financial implications of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Football clubs across the globe are missing out on match-day income and are making contingency plans to survive the pandemic.
This could see transfers placed on the back burner this summer, even at clubs the size of Real Madrid, and van de Beek’s agent admitted he is concerned that the move to Los Blancos might not go ahead.
“What's going to happen to Donny? No one knows at this time,” he told Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo . “The interest of various clubs, which is known, has been there for a long time.
“We will see what will come out in the coming weeks. I don't dare say anything about it, also because some things are confidential, although the coronavirus will have changed the situation of some clubs and we have to look closely at that.”
Real Madrid is understood to be van de Beek’s ideal destination, though a number of European clubs have been monitoring the Dutchman’s progress in the Eredivisie, including Manchester United in the Premier League.
His agent added: “It is important for Donny to make a decision based on his own feelings and to think about where he can fit in better and where he will be more successful.”
Van de Beek - who came through the ranks at Ajax’s academy - has scored 10 goals and provided 11 assists across all competitions this season and has been utilised both in attacking and central midfield roles.
