Transfers: Barcelona interested in Manchester United outcast midfielder

Barcelona’s search for a new addition to the midfield unit has seemingly taken them to Premier League giants Manchester United, with Mundo Deportivo reporting that the Catalans are interested in Donny van de Beek.

The Dutch midfielder signed for Manchester United only last summer in a deal worth £40 million, but had a year to forget in England. Indeed, Van de Beek was used largely off the bench by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the majority of his 36 appearances in the 2020/21 season coming off the bench.

And even though the Red Devils’ boss insists that the midfielder has a future at Old Trafford, that may not be the case. And, Barcelona are now said to be alert to the situation as they eye reinforcements to their midfield department.

The Blaugrana had been heavily linked with a move for Georginio Wijnaldum for the good part of the last year. However, the Dutchman snubbed them in favour of a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, leaving Barca high and dry.

Soon after the snub, the Catalan giants were offered a chance to sign Van de Beek. At the time, the club did consider the possibility of taking on the 24-year-old, while potentially letting Samuel Umtiti move the other way to Manchester United, but no progress was made.

Since then, Van de Beek has also been offered to Real Madrid as a makeweight in a deal that would see Manchester United sign Raphael Varane, as per the report. But it is Barcelona who are now considering signing the former AFC Ajax star, with Umtiti being involved in the operation again.

Such a scenario would see Barcelona proverbially kill two birds with one stone by bolstering their midfield with Van de Beek’s addition and getting rid of a high wage-earner like Umtiti. The Catalans’ finances could pose an issue, but the report states that a season-long loan option could be a possibility.