Man Utd confident of Antony transfer after Ajax pressured to sell
Suraj Radia
- 24 Aug 2022 22:09 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United are confident they can seal the signing of Antony before the transfer window closes next week after the player pressured Ajax to strike a deal.
The Brazilian has been a top target for Erik ten Hag all summer and the United boss appears to be on course to get his man and finally bolster his frontline.
Antony's representatives are planning to spend the remainder of the transfer window in London, where United have offices, and the English side are set to submit a new €94 million offer.
A report in De Telegraaf claims that Antony has formally requested Ajax to cooperate with a deal as he believes a move to United would benefit both him and the club financially.
The 22-year-old had allegedly been persuaded by former director Marc Overmars to join Ajax over RB Leipzig in 2020 with the promise that the club would represent 'an ideal springboard to the Premier League in the near future'.
As a result, Antony is desperate to secure a move to United, having already agreed personal terms, and the player indicated in an interview that taking away his Premier League dream would hurt him.
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Antony has missed training sessions due to the speculation, as well as Ajax's last game against Sparta Rotterdam, while his representatives have reportedly already been house-hunting in Manchester.
Speaking earlier in the month, Antony was unable to reassure Ajax fans about his future when asked if he would be wearing their shirt still after deadline day.
“No, to be quite honest I can't," he said. "What I can say is that I want to come to the right decision with my family, agents and Ajax, which is good for everyone. Ultimately, God determines my future.”
United had previously been in talks over a €60m deal earlier in the summer but Ajax upped their asking price, having already sold a host of first team players and not wishing to dismantle their team further.
The Eredivisie side rejected a second offer of €80m last week and are believed to be holding out for a €100m fee but a compromise could be reached in the coming days.
United's potential breakthrough with Antony has seen them ease their interest in PSV forward Cody Gakpo, who had previously been lined up as an alternative.
