Real Madrid Renew Interest in Donny van de Beek as Paul Pogba Alternative

Real Madrid have renewed their interest in Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek - with their hopes to sign Paul Pogba seemingly dwindling by the day. 

Zinedine Zidane remains committed to bringing his fellow countryman, Pogba, to the Bernabeu but with Manchester United standing firm on his €150m price tag, Van de Beek has emerged as a key transfer target for the club's hierarchy. 

This interest in Van de Beek hasn't come out of the blue. News broke earlier in the transfer window that the Spanish giants were looking at alternatives to the hefty price tag that was being boasted by Pogba, and the Ajax man has been sitting firmly as the number one 'Plan B' ever since - even ahead of Tottenham's Christian Eriksen.

According to MARCA the Dutch playmaker is very much on the radar of those in Madrid, in fact, they have claimed that all areas of the club are interested in getting a deal done for the 22-year-old. All except Zidane, that is. 

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Zidane, however, has no intention of getting his Plan B and is said to be content with waiting until September 2 if it means getting his first choice target. And according to L'Equipe, via GFFN, Pogba himself is more than willing to wait if it means getting his much desired move.

After a summer of mass spending in the Spanish capital, Los Blancos will need to look at getting the transferred duo of Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez out of the door before they even think of spending another monstrous fee on the Manchester United man. 

With United demanding a bare minimum of €150m, the smart option certainly looks to be the Ajax midfielder. 

Van de Beek boasts extremely impressive stats for a 22-year-old and at a fraction of the price, he may not be Zidane's choice but he could well be the smart one.