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Over the last few years, Saudi Arabia has become the home of a number of big name stars.
Following Al- Nassr’s signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in January 2023, players such as Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Fabinho have followed suit moving from some of the top leagues in Europe.
After a half a year on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt, Donny van de Beek may be the next big name to join the Saudi Pro League.
Having joined Manchester United from Ajax in 2020 for €39 million, there was much hype around the Dutchman.
Being primarily used in United’s cup runs for his first season and making Premier League appearances mainly off of the bench, van de Beek featured 36 times across all competitions.
After a strong start to life in Manchester, getting his first United goal at Old Trafford vs Crystal Palace, van de Beek struggled to find consistent form and make himself apart of the first team squad. This continued through his second season at the Red Devils, ultimately getting him sent out on loan to Everton to see out the remainder of the season.
Returning to United, the 2022/23 season was unfortunately ruled out for van de Beek thanks to a collateral ligament strain in his knee.
Upon returning from injury, the midfielder has made eight appearances for the German club, helping them to secure sixth place in the Bundesliga.
Now reports from WinWin suggest that both Al-Ahli Saudi FC and Al-Ettifaq FC have a desire to secure the Dutchman’s services on a permanent deal.
A close source has said that van de Beek is not adverse to the idea of playing in Saudi Arabia and expressed his admiration of the country’s project to develop the football leagues.
Despite the interest, no official offer has been made for van de Beek as of yet with his contract due to expire this summer.
