Ajax have reportedly upped the asking price of winger Antony, days after Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag urged the club to sign a forward.
Erik ten Hag, 52, has so far welcomed new players such as Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez. The new Red Devils boss is keen on adding a new forward to his squad, with the in-demand Antony a top target.
According to the Daily Mail, Ajax have raised the asking price to sign Antony by £16m to ward off interest from Manchester United. This means the Red Devils will now have to splash around £84m should they want to land one of Ten Hag’s primary transfer targets. Ten Hag is very much interested in bringing the Brazilian trickster to Old Trafford, but his former club are reluctant to sell one of their prized assets this summer, the report adds.
Antony, 22, had a strong last campaign, where he helped Ajax win the Eredivisie title by registering eight goals and four assists in 23 appearances. Having flourished under Ten Hag in the Netherlands, the diminutive winger is also on the radar of Liverpool and Chelsea.
Antony to Man United—Should the Red Devils meet Ajax’s recent valuation?
There’s no doubt Manchester United need to add more quality to their squad this summer after such a torrid 2021/22 campaign that saw them miss out on a place in the Champions League.
As a result, Cristiano Ronaldo—their top scorer last season—is keen to leave Old Trafford for a club that is competing in the elite European competition. The Portuguese megastar’s future at the club remains up in the air, while Ten Hag doesn’t has a wealth of quality attacking options outside of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.
With just less than a week left for the new season to commence, it is a serious concern for Ten Hag. It is clear the Dutch tactician wants players that he has worked with before, can be trusted and fit his philosophy, having begun his rebuild by bringing in Malacia, Eriksen and Martinez. Thus, it’s no surprise to see him wanting to reunite with Antony at Old Trafford, after managing him very well at Ajax for two years.
Antony has developed a reputation of being one of Europe’s top young players, with the 22-year-old scoring 23 goals in 79 appearances in all competitions since arriving at Ajax from Sao Paulo in 2020. He has become a key player for Ajax and new manager Alfred Schreuder is reluctant to let him leave this summer, having seen a host of stars depart earlier in the window.
Man United’s interest in Antony is apparent but the latest fee mentioned by Ajax represents a large chunk of the summer budget. In a window where the Mancunian giants are also looking at signing a central midfielder, a right-back and a centre-forward, paying over the odds for the Ajax star isn’t feasible.
The Brazil international would have been a quality option to have in the squad, but Ajax demanding £84m should prompt United now to turn their attention to other potential alternatives.
