Manchester United‘s pursuit of Ajax star Antony appears to have hit a bump in the road. According to Mike Verweij, Erik ten Hag thinks the 22-year-old is a “fantastic player”, but the Dutch giants value him highly, and this “might not suit the budget” of United. This saga will, no doubt, continue throughout the transfer window, with the Red Devils not known for completing their business quickly.
Ajax Star Antony Could Be Priced Out of Manchester United Move
🚨 – Manchester United are expected to report themselves at Ajax for the signing of Antony, Ten Hag believes he is a fantastic player. But the price tag of Antony is quite high which might not suit the budget of Manchester United. [via @MikeVerweij] pic.twitter.com/t1F8773ViJ
— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) June 15, 2022
What We Know So Far
Erik ten Hag wants Antony at Old Trafford.
The Dutch manager worked with him during his time in Amsterdam and was evidently impressed with what he saw. The Brazilian winger moved to the Netherlands in the summer of 2020, and went straight into Ten Hag’s starting team.
His importance for the side is no less now, having accumulated a total of 78 appearances across his two seasons at Ajax. This includes an ankle injury that kept him out of the final two months of the 2021/22 campaign.
Ever-reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano recently weighed in on the situation, confirming that United hold “genuine interest” in Antony, but that there had been no official bid made to Ajax at the time of the tweet on Monday, June 13th. Romano did also say that internal discussions about the winger had taken place, but that this was the furthest the Red Devils had gone towards signing him.
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It remains to be seen whether Ten Hag will end up landing his former player, with many aspects of the deal appearing complicated.
United are set to prioritise a midfielder over any other position this summer, with Frenkie de Jong their main target. There has also been an offer extended to free agent Christian Eriksen, but they face competition from his former club Tottenham Hotspur for this move.
Moreover, as Antony is a winger, there is not much need for him at Old Trafford, with Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, and Anthony Elanga among Ten Hag’s options out wide.
