Man United transfer news: Sale of unwanted midfielder 'could generate £12.7m'

The new football operations team at Old Trafford have been working diligently of late to add players to Erik ten Hag's first-team squad.

As it stands, no high-profile signings have been made, but reports have indicated that two fresh faces will soon link up with the Red Devils.

Should those deals go through as expected, United will be in a position where they need to raise funds and reduce their wage bill in order to facilitate further incomings.

Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial being released at the end of their contracts has helped that situation to some extent, yet more work is required if Ten Hag is to be provided with the level of acquisitions that he desires.

United to raise more through Van de Beek sale than first thought?

Over the weekend, it was claimed that United would finally cash in on Donny van de Beek, albeit for just £423,000 in an agreement with Girona.

However, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Premier League giants stand to generate far more than that should the Dutchman prove to be a hit at the newly-qualified Champions League outfit.

Speaking to CaughtOffside, Romano said: "Manchester United are set to sell Donny van de Beek to Girona. The Dutch midfielder was also a target for Girona back in the January transfer window, but it wasn't possible at that time as he decided to join Eintracht Frankfurt on loan. However, Girona are still there and have now agreed a deal with Manchester United.

"Many of you have been asking me about the strange structure of this deal, because it's been reported that the initial fee will be just €500,000. This would obviously be an incredibly cheap fee for Van de Beek, but the reality is different.

"For now, this is a potential fee as it's still subject to a personal agreement with Van de Beek and on the player passing a medical. Girona have an agreement with Man United but there are still some steps, and early next week we should know more.

"As for the fee, it is €500k initially, but there is a big structure of add-ons. There would be around €4-5m paid to Man United if Van de Beek plays a certain number of games, and this is expected to be quite an easy number. If he achieves more in his time at Girona it could even end up being around €10-15m."

Is Van de Beek likely to activate the clauses?

From Girona's perspective, they seemingly sense an opportunity in the market, while Van de Beek will realistically delighted to be on the brink of signing for a team competing at European football's top table.

Nevertheless, during his most recent loan stint at Eintracht Frankfurt, the 27-year-old would accumulated just 359 minutes across eight appearances in the Bundesliga.

Van de Beek also has just 15 league starts across the last four seasons, highlighting how far his stock has fallen since leaving Ajax in 2020.

Given that Aleix Garcia has departed for Bayer Leverkusen, there is a slot available in Michel's starting lineup, but Van de Beek has much work ahead if he is to cement a place in the first XI.