Real Sociedad are still mourning the loss of David Silva, who retired from football this week, but they have begun the process of covering for his absence.
Silva, 37, injured his anterior cruciate ligament in preseason training and decided to call time on his career as a result.
According to Relevo, La Real have now opened talks with Manchester United for Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek. They would be looking to secure his signature on a loan basis with an option to buy.
While van de Beek and Silva are drastically different profiles of midfielder, van de Beek could perhaps provide a goal threat from the middle of the park. While Mikel Merino proved one of the most creative players in La Liga last season, most of the midfield goals came from Brais Mendez, and when his goals dried up in the second half of the campaign, it put more pressure on their forwards.
For van de Beek, Real Sociedad is the perfect place to rehabilitate his career following just 67 appearances in the course of the last three seasons. Misused talent such as Merino, Takefusa Kubo and Aleksandar Isak all benefitted from the strong structure and working environment at La Real.
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