Rafael Van der Vaart thinks Van de Beek should consider Bayern or Dortmund instead of Real Madrid

Donny Van de Beek is one of Europe’s most promising young talents. The Ajax midfielder has enjoyed an impressive campaign in the Eredivisie this season, scoring 10 goals and providing 11 assists from 37 appearances across all competitions before the league was null and voided due to the coronavirus pandemic in April.

After such an impressive season, Van de Beek has attracted increased interest from top clubs throughout Europe, and Real Madrid is leading the race to sign him right now. They reportedly have an agreement in principle in place for a fee of around €50m with personal terms also said to have been agreed upon, but Ajax is also waiting to see how much Manchester United might be willing to offer before they make anything final with Real Madrid. Former Dutch international and Real Madrid midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart thinks Van de Beek might be better suited moving to the Bundesliga to play for either Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund, though (Football Oranje).

Van der Vaart is fearful that Madrid just isn’t the right club for Van de Beek and that he could wind up in a difficult situation where he doesn’t get much playing time there: “His transfer to Real Madrid does not seem to get off the ground. Real is really a difficult club. I would think it would be a shame if he is not allowed to play there. That is of no use to us with the Dutch national team. It would be better for him to go to a club that has a bit more feeling for players and a slightly clearer idea with him. But then you must say ‘no’ to that beautiful white shirt.”

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Of course, Van de Beek was a part of the Ajax squad that shocked Madrd in the Champions League round of 16 last season. After losing the home leg 2-1, Ajax stunned Madrid with a 4-1 win at the Santiago Bernabéu and Van de Beek assisted one of those four goals. They then went on to knock Juventus out of the competition in the quarter-finals before losing out to Tottenham in the semi-finals in what was one of the most memorable European campaigns for Ajax.

Bayern or Dortmund could be much better, more realistic destinations for Van de Beek in terms of making the natural next step in his career. Real Madrid might just be too big of a step, especially with the world class talent they already possess in great depth. Van der Vaart thinks one of the two Bundesliga clubs would be the right place for Van de Beek: “I would think Bayern Munich is a very nice club for him, just like Borussia Dortmund.”

While Van der Vaart may have a valid argument for Van de Beek’s case, a €50m investment probably isn’t in the cards for Bayern. It’s still unclear what’s going to happen this summer with either Manchester City’s Leroy Sane or Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz. Not to mention, Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, and Thiago Alcantara have all had a strong seasons - it’d be difficult for Van de Beek to work into that midfield.

Photo by CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images

What’s everyone think? Does Van der Vaart make a good point? Would you ever like to see Van de Beek at Bayern? Let us know in the comments section!