Manchester United will have to accept £33.5m loss to achieve toughest transfer objective

The doors at Carrington will swing open on Monday morning to welcome back Manchester United's players for the start of pre-season training.

Those who have not had international commitments over the summer are expected to report back to the club's training base to begin their preparations for the upcoming campaign. United will kick-off their pre-season campaign on July 15, facing Rosenborg in Norway.

But by the time the plane carrying Erik ten Hag and his squad has touched down on Scandinavian tarmac, it is possible the door that swung open to welcome Donny van de Beek back to Carrington may have closed on his United career. As reported by the Manchester Evening News on Thursday, United are in discussions to offload him.

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Girona, who will play in the Champions League this forthcoming season, have reportedly moved into pole position to secure Van de Beek's signature. According to The Athletic, he will join the Spanish club for an initial fee of just €500,000 (£422,854 at current exchange rate) with a total add-ons package of €20m (£16.9m at current exchange rate).

Signed from Ajax in September 2020 for £35m, it is a deal that would represent an enormous loss United would have to stomach. But based on how the last four seasons have gone for Van de Beek, it is no great surprise.

Part of the Ajax team that enjoyed a famous run to the Champions League semi-finals under Ten Hag in 2019, Van de Beek was farmed out on loan for a second time by United in January, joining Eintracht Frankfurt in a deal that featured the option for the