DEAL AGREED! – Stunning terms in agreed Man United transfer emerge, with January deal not what Ten Hag wanted

DEAL AGREED! – Stunning terms in agreed Man United transfer emerge, with January deal not what Ten Hag wanted

New information on the loan agreement that will send Donny van de Beek from Manchester United to Frankfurt has come to light, and the deal with leave a bittersweet taste in Erik ten Hag’s mouth.

Van de Beek, 26, has never got out of second gear at Old Trafford since arriving in a £40m deal from Ajax in 2020. The Dutch midfielder’s record over his three-and-a-half year stint with the Red Devils stands at a dismal two goals and two assists in 62 appearances.

Van de Beek was named by the Guardian as one of five high profile United stars Erik ten Hag is willing to sell in January. The others are Raphael Varane, Casemiro, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial.

Van de Beek’s exit has taken shape first, with Fabrizio Romano revealing an agreement in principle regarding a six-month loan was struck with Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday.

The midfielder is primed to join the German side until the end of the 2023/24 season. An option – not obligation – to buy has been included in the terms. Per Romano, the option that also factors in future add-ons is set at €15m (£12.9m).

Van de Beek must still pass a medical before the deal can go through. He also cannot officially join the Bundesliga outfit until the winter window opens on January 1.

Romano also reported Man Utd will receive a loan fee in the deal. How much they’ll pocket has not yet come to light.

However, Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg has divulged further details on Man Utd’s agreement with Frankfurt.

Man Utd to still pay Van de Beek during loan
Taking to X the reporter revealed Man Utd have agreed to cover a “significant” portion of Van de Beek’s salary during the loan.

That makes sense given BILD’s Christian Falk declared Frankfurt simply “can’t pay” the Dutchman’s full salary.

Van de Beek is believed to earn roughly £125,000-a-week at Old Trafford. Per Plettenberg, Frankfurt “will pay less than €2m gross for the next six months” in player salary.

€2m equates to roughly £65,000-a-week over a six-month span. That means Man Utd are on the hook for approximately 40-45 percent of Van de Beek’s wages throughout the loan stint.

Those terms will do little to raise Ten Hag’s mood, with United’s winter window budget known to be limited.

The fact United will only receive a modest loan fee rather than a bigger sum from an outright sale, combined with still subsidising a chunk of the player’s wages means United’s spending power for January has barely increased.

Nonetheless, the Frankfurt move will form a pathway for Van de Beek to leave in the summer via the option to buy. All in all, it’s a bittersweet deal for the Red Devils.

Plettenberg concluded his update by stating Frankfurt plan to use Van de Beek in a variety of positions during his stint.

The Dutchman will be given minutes as a No 6 (defensive midfielder), No 8 (box-to-box midfielder), and No 10 (second striker).