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Real Madrid have one eye on replacing a club legend with Manchester United midfielder Donny Van de Beek, and their mishandling of the Dutchman has given them hope of a cheap deal.

Van de Beek’s time at Old Trafford has been an altogether dismal affair. The midfielder was signed for £35m in 2020, but has rarely been afforded a chance to prove his worth.

The current campaign sums up his woes at Old Trafford. Despite United struggling in the centre of midfield, Van de Beek has been afforded a paltry 16 minutes of league action.

Clearly, the ex-Ajax favourite does not hold the faith or belief of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. That is something that has caused discontent in the United dressing room, according to the Daily Mail. Furthermore, former United title winner, Paul Ince, launched an expletive-laden rant Solskjaer’s way for his suspect handling of Van de Beek.

With his struggles laid bare, the idea of a loan or permanent exit in January has been touted.

That is something that would likely appeal to Van de Beek, not least because it will aid his chances of regaining a starting spot for his national side. The Netherlands secured their place at Qatar 2022 when defeating Norway 2-0 on Tuesday night.

Now, Spanish outlet Fíchájés have provided an update on Real Madrid’s burgeoning pursuit of the player they came close to signing in 2020.

Their efforts fell short after the Covid-19 pandemic hit their finances then. But over 18 months on, they have their eyes on Van de Beek once more.

The outlet claim Real Madrid reckon Van de Beek can become the ‘generational replacement’ for Luka Modric. The legendary Croatian has pulled the strings at the Bernabeu for nearly a decade. But at 36, his time there won’t last forever.

Van de Beek could assume the mantle, and the article states United’s mishandling of the Dutchman will warrant a significant price drop from the £35m United paid less than two years ago.

Exactly how much Real would be prepared to bid is unstated. Though even a loss-making bid may be considered at Old Trafford given Van de Beek’s lowly status at present.

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Woodward comments amid new report on Solskjaer sack

Meanwhile, Manchester United chief Ed Woodward has insisted that on-field success is the “top priority” at the club, amid a fresh report putting Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s future in further peril.

Speaking alongside the release of United’s latest financial results, executive vice-chairman Woodward spoke out on the situation. He said (via ESPN): “While these financial results today demonstrate our resilience through the pandemic, our top priority is success on the pitch.

“The manager, players and everyone at the club are determined to achieve that objective.”

United revealed that revenues have increased by 16 per cent to £126.5million. That change mainly comes because of supporters returning to Old Trafford.

Wages have also gone up by 23 per cent to £88.5million due to the arrivals of Jadon Sancho, Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane in the summer.

Meanwhile, net debt has gone down to £439.7million. As for other incomings, United earned £17.4million from Daniel James’ move to Leeds and the activation of Romelu Lukaku’s sell-on fee.

United return to action on Saturday when facing Watford at Vicarage Road in the Premier League. The Manchester Evening News reports that Solskjaer will ‘almost certainly’ take charge of that game. However, the newspaper adds that the Red Devils have begun work on finding his successor.

READ MORE: Botched Barcelona plan pushes ‘raging’ £60m attacker toward Man Utd transfer steal

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