Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek has joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
The Dutchman will spend at least the next six months with the Bundesliga outfit, who are set to pay an undisclosed loan fee while also forking out a large chunk of his pay packet.
Frankfurt are also said to possess the option to sign Van de Beek permanently at the end of the season for €11m (£9.6m), which could rise to €14m (£12.2m) with performance-related add-ons.
Van de Beek's arrival in Germany was hailed by Frankfurt's sporting director Markus Krosche, who told the club's website: "Donny van de Beek fits our game idea perfectly and is an important piece of the puzzle for our team.
"He brings a wealth of international experience that our young players will benefit from. Donny exudes a goal-scoring threat and, above all, should put our attackers in promising positions."
Welcome to Frankfurt, @Donny_beek6 🙌🦅#SGE pic.twitter.com/4wDpFgUdIY
— Eintracht Frankfurt (@eintracht_eng) January 1, 2024
Van de Beek could make his debut for Frankfurt when they return to Bundesliga action against RB Leipzig on January 13, and he arrives with Die Adler sat sixth in the German top-flight standings.
The 26-year-old blossomed into a highly-rated midfielder during his time with Ajax under Erik ten Hag, joining Man United in a €44m (£38.3m) deal in the summer of 2020, but he has failed to rediscover his previous form in Manchester.
Van de Beek has only played 62 times for the Red Devils over the course of the last three years - mostly appearing as a substitute - and he has just two goals and two assists under his belt from his time in England.
After failing to play his way into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Ralf Rangnick's good books, there was hope that the arrival of Ten Hag would help to turn Van de Beek's fortunes around following their success together at Ajax.
However, the midfielder was restricted to just 10 appearances in the 2022-23 campaign due to a serious knee injury, which saw him miss the second half of the season, and he has been a peripheral figure since recovering.
© Reuters
Van de Beek has played just 21 minutes of football across two games this term, coming off the bench in an EFL Cup win over Crystal Palace four days before another cameo appearance against the Eagles in the Premier League.
The Dutchman was an unused substitute in Man United's final eight Premier League games of 2023 and has lost his place in the Netherlands squad owing to his lack of game time, earning his last call-up in June 2021.
Following confirmation of Van de Beek's exit, the Red Devils are now expected to turn their attention to a handful of other outgoings, namely finding a new stomping ground for exiled winger Jadon Sancho.
Casemiro, Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane - whom Man United have reportedly decided against triggering a 12-month contract extension for - are also on the chopping block, while Hannibal Mejbri could be allowed to depart on loan.
Ten Hag's men are next in action on January 8, when they travel to League One strugglers Wigan Athletic in the third round of the EFL Cup.
Ben Knapton
