What is Ajax's stance on Antony's Man Utd transfer?

Karan Tejwani

Updated: 21 Jul 2022 14:05 BST
3 min read

Antony has been of interest to Manchester United, but a move may not be easy this summer, as Ajax have revealed their stance on the player.

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Erik ten Hag is a big fan of the player, having impressed in the 2021-22 campaign, and has been eager to reunite with the Brazilian at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils reportedly planned a €60 million move for the player early in July, but Ajax wanted €80 million for the winger, putting off negotiations.

Now, though, Ajax seem adamant on keeping their star, following a busy summer transfer window with plenty of incomings and outgoings.

Ajax keen to keep Antony this summer

Ajax have already sold Lisandro Martinez to Manchester United and Sebastien Haller to Borussia Dortmund, while Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui went to Bayern Munich – all were frequent starters.

The likes of Steven Bergwijn and Calvin Bassey have joined from Tottenham and Rangers respectively and more players such as Brian Brobbey and Francisco Conceicao are set to join.

They want to keep this squad together as the season is set to start soon, according to the club’s new Technical Director Gerry Hamstra.

"We all have our ambitions at Ajax. Then six starting players can’t suddenly leave either. Only this year we had to deal with a combination of circumstances. The one-on-one replacements cost more than the guys you get to grow a year behind someone."

Antony celebrating his 1st call up to the Brazilian national team in style.

What a goal, man is playing so well right now. pic.twitter.com/OoBxSy2vKF
— Marc Geschwind (@MarcGeschwind) September 25, 2021

He then took up the example of Antony, as many believed Conceicao’s signing was linked with Antony’s departure, but Hamstra made it clear that the Brazilian was staying, with the new signing being a part of their succession planning.

"So, Conceicao is another example of bringing the successor, in this case Antony, into your selection. We now want to keep this group together. I assume that no one leaves this core anymore. Of course, you can never say never, I’ve learned that by now.”

Ajax are well known to plan in advance, and are doing so here once again – Antony will leave the club at some point in the future, but for it to happen this summer seems unlikely, unless there is a mammoth offer made.