Lorient's ambitions keep rising: They are unbeaten in Ligue 1 and have set their sights on a Manchester United player

Manchester United's discard Donny van de Beek has been given a couple of chances to impress compatriot Erik Ten Hag at Old Trafford, but the midfielder never looked remotely useful as he's been for his old club Ajax, where Ten Hag's coaching turned him into one of the most promising talents in European football. Alas, the time to move on has finally come - and Donny must admit the United shirt is too heavy for him to wear.

Just hours before the end of the transfer window, Ligue 1 club Lorient has positioned themselves for Van de Beek. It's an ambitious target for the Breton side and would be difficult to pull off. However, the French are serious about bringing the midfielder to Stade du Moustoir.

While the transfer market officially closes in France on 1 September, Ligue 1 teams are still working behind the scenes to finalize the last deals. Lorient's management could secure one of the most spectacular moves of the year with the loan signing of the Dutch international.

Since his arrival in 2020 for a fee of $42 million, plus $6 million in bonuses that were never reached, Van de Beek has been a flop for the Red Devils. The Dutch midfielder, who was loaned to Everton for six short months at the beginning of 2022, continues to bide his time in England. Having only participated in seven matches with the Toffees during that period, he repeated this pattern by playing only seven Premier League last season. These are unfavourable statistics for a player who was supposed to be the cornerstone of Manchester United's midfield for many years.

Although the presence of his former coach at Ajax hasn't changed his situation, Van de Beek also owes his struggles to recurring physical issues he faced last season, which have not helped his case quite the opposite. While Donny van de Beek was indeed part of the Red Devils' squad that went to the United States for pre-season, the Dutch player's future at United remained uncertain. Real Sociedad had expressed interest in welcoming Van de Beek in July to replace David Silva who unexpectedly had to retire through injury. Despite this interest, Manchester United's management retained the midfielder, but they may be willing to let him go to new horizons.

That's where Lorient and its executives come in to attract the player to their project! At least that's the intention of the orange-and-blacks, who initiated discussions with Manchester United for a season-long loan. According to our information, they have even agreed on the deal's main points. The only issue is that Van de Beek has multiple offers and could lean towards a more ambitious club. On Lorient's side, they've had a fairly good start to their Ligue 1 season with two draws and one victory in three matches. Thus, they could have a very appealing fourth option in addition to Jean-Victor Makengo, Laurent Abergel, and Julien Ponceau with the arrival of the Dutchman.

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To make this happen, the Bretons should be able to rely on their main connection in England, namely Bournemouth. William Foley, who has owned the English club since last December, also acquired a share of FC Lorient. These Franco-English connections could facilitate negotiations between Lorient's executives and those of the Red Devils, even though everything is still to be done in this complex case.

Donny might benefit from changing the league altogether to relaunch his career. Watch this space.