Tottenham Hotspur are battling Manchester United for the signature of Ajax winger Antony, according to The Independent's chief football writer Miguel Delaney. 

The lowdown

United are interested in reuniting Antony with Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, Delaney says.

He arrived in Amsterdam from native club Sao Paulo in the summer of 2020 for a fee of £14.2million. Under Ten Hag, Antony won the Eredivisie twice, as well as the 2020/21 Dutch Cup.

The 22-year-old, who has three years left on his contract, is now valued at £31.5million by Transfermarkt.

The latest

Delaney writes that Ten Hag and United 'face competition' from Spurs for the Brazilian attacker.

Conte would appear to be at a disadvantage without the personal connection to the player but, significantly, the club are prepared to offer Steven Bergwijn to Ajax as part of the deal.

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The verdict

Even though Antony has a prior relationship with Ten Hag, Spurs' willingness to include Bergwijn in the deal could swing it in their favour.

That's because Ajax clearly possess a strong interest in the former PSV Einhoven man, having seen a £17million bid rejected earlier in the summer.

The hope for Spurs, of course, is that Antony would represent an upgrade off the back of his impressive 2021/22 campaign.

The nine-times-capped international was directly involved in 22 goals (scoring 12 and setting up ten) in 32 appearances in all competitions.

Adding the 'elegant' playmaker (in the words of talent scout Jacek Kulig) to a squad that already includes Dejan Kulusevski would be a real statement. Conte would have an elite level of attacking depth at his disposal.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano reveals talks for a 'star' target.