Man United in pole position for Donny van de Beek transfer thanks to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has played a crucial role in putting Manchester United in pole position to sign Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek.

The United boss has told the Dutch international that he wants him to help turn the Reds into Premier League contenders after Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona failed to follow-up their interest with a bid.

United now expect to seal a £40million deal for the 23-year-old after Van de Beek refused to play in Ajax's friendly against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

The attacking midfielder told Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar and sporting director Marc Overmars that he will not play for the club again.

Solskjaer has been given permission to hold further talks with the player in the next 48 hours.

And according to sources in Holland, the only way United can miss out now is if there is an unexpected 11th hour counter-bid bid from one of Spain's big two.

New Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman is a big fan of the player.

But the Catalan giants are in turmoil following Lionel Messi's announcement that he wants to leave the Nou Camp.

The uncertainty prompted Solskjaer to take the lead in United's attempts to land Van de Beek.

Solskjaer has seen his hopes of signing Jadon Sancho put in jeopardy by his club's refusal to meet Borussia Dortmund's £108million asking price.

But Van de Beek represents real value for money, having played more than 200 times for Ajax.

Koeman handed Van de Beek his international debut and wanted to link him up at the Nou Camp with Frenkie de Jong and Liverpool's Gini Wijnaldum.

But Van de Beek fears he could miss out on a move away from the Amsterdam club for a second time and is not willing to wait for Barca to sort out Messi's future.

He agreed personal terms on a switch to Madrid in the spring only for the Spanish giants to put the move on ice when the covid-19 pandemic struck.