Ajax winger Antony
Transfer insider Dean Jones has claimed that Manchester United are preparing ‘conversations’ to make a ‘breakthrough’ for Ajax forward Antony over the next seven days.
The lowdown: Strong interest
The Red Devils have been actively pursuing a deal for Antony for weeks and a recent report from Sky Sports claimed that the Brazilian was a major target for new manager Erik ten Hag.
Despite submitting an offer believed to be in the region of £51million for the 22-year-old Brazil international, United’s pursuit has thus far been fruitless as Chelsea have also shown an interest in making a deal happen.
With arch-rivals Liverpool believed to be past admirers of Antony too, the skilful Samba star’s future remains in sharp focus and one well-informed onlooker has shed some light on the current state of play…
The latest: ‘Conversations’
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones – who writes for Eurosport – has claimed that Manchester United officials will ‘kick on’ with negotiations for the six-cap ace over the coming days.
He said: “They definitely expect to kick on with these conversations in the next week and see if they can make a breakthrough.
“They’re very aware that Chelsea might challenge them for his signature, so that could cause a problem because there is a possibility that Chelsea have more money to spend in that area of the field than Manchester United if they manage to get rid of the players that they want to in attack too.”
The verdict: Fingers crossed
Albeit the Eredivisie champions have reportedly upped their demands to an eye-watering £84million for Antony, signing the Brazilian should remain a priority for the Old Trafford hierarchy this summer.
Predominantly operating from the right-hand side of a front three in Holland, the former Sao Paolo sensation would be the perfect addition to Ten Hag’s ranks as the squad is currently short of senior options to play from that side.
Described as a ‘dribbling wizard’ by South American football writer Tom Robinson, Antony earned an outstanding 7.44 Sofascore rating whilst winning 4.8 duels, successfully completing 1.8 dribbles and taking 3.4 shots on average per game in the Dutch top flight last season, levels of form that would stand the attacker in good stead when it comes to making the transition to the Premier League.
Sharing a close stylistic likeness with such renowned names as Angel Di Maria, Serge Gnabry and Riyad Mahrez (Fbref), Antony would represent a sensational coup for United, particularly were Chelsea to fall by the wayside in the process.
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