Manchester United complete £40m swoop for Real Madrid target

Manchester United have signed Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek on a five-year deal with an option to a further 12 months.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side have moved swiftly for the 23-year-old and have agreed a deal with Ajax in the region of £40m.

Van de Beek agreed to join Real Madrid before COVID-19 scuppered the move and Solskjaer's intervention reportedly played a decisive factor in signing the Netherlands international.

"I cannot wait to begin to explain how incredible an opportunity it is to join a club with such an amazing history," he told the club's official website.

"I would like to thank everyone at Ajax. I grew up there and I will always have a special bond with the club.

"I am now ready to take the next step in my career and perform at the highest level and there is no higher standard than Manchester United.

"Everyone has told me how amazing the Old Trafford atmopshere is and I am looking forward to experiencing that, once it is safe for fans to return.

"The team has some of the best midfielders in the world and I know that I can learn from them and also bring my own strengths to the group.

"Having spoken to the manager about his vision for this team, the direction that the club is going in is hugely exciting and I cannot wait to be part of that."

United have endured a nightmare summer transfer window to date and Solskjaer will hope Van de Beek's arrival will kickstart a flurry of new signings before the 2020/21 season starts.

The Red Devils have even managed to sign Van de Beek for £10m less than what Madrid had agreed to pay earlier in the year, with the versatile midfielder set to pocket £100,000-a-week.

Van de Beek's arrival will likely offset the departures of Andreas Pereira and Jesse Lingard, who already faced uncertain futures at Old Trafford, and also end their interest of Liverpool target and current Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago.

Since the 2017/18 campaign, Van de Beek has impressively scored or assisted 49 goals in 91 league appearances for Ajax.