Antony leads €90m Man Utd trio Ratcliffe will axe
Robin Bairner
- 11 Nov 2023 08:47 GMT
- 4 min read
Manchester United are ready to sell Antony as one of three players who Sir Jim Ratcliffe is planning to axe when he completes his minority takeover of the club.
Ratcliffe’s 25% buyout from the Glazer brothers is expected to be made official imminently, but claims that the deal will be announced on Monday have been rebuffed.
The British billionaire will take over sporting control over the Old Trafford team, who sit eighth in the Premier League table, and is ready to complete a series of sweeping changes aimed at making the club more competitive.
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Ratcliffe is reportedly eyeing the sale of three players as a priority in the January transfer window, according to the Daily Mirror, with these transfers potentially recouping close to €100 million for the Red Devils that could then be reinvested in the squad.
Antony is arguably the highest profile of the players to be sold, with the Brazil international having endured a miserable second season at the club after a big-money move from Ajax in the summer of 2022. The winger, who is worth €43m, according to FootballTransfers’ algorithm, has yet to record either a goal or an assist this term – a dreadful return on the €95m that was spent on him.
Similarly, Jadon Sancho will be asked to find a new club, with the former Borussia Dortmund winger having fallen out with Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag and not used since January. His peripheral status in the squad has seen his transfer value drop to €35m.
Finally, Anthony Martial will be allowed to depart, with long-standing concerns over both his form and fitness finally catching up with him. The striker is valued at €14m.
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As Man Utd found in the summer when they sought buyers for the players then seen as surplus to requirements, including Harry Maguire, who has since found his way back into the team, there is a great difference between putting players on the transfer market and finding a buyer.
The three stars that Ratcliffe wants to axe are all on substantial contracts and finding clubs willing to match these sufficiently so that the players agree to leave will be no easy feat.
Sancho’s availability, for example, has been known for months, and yet there is little concrete interest in him as things stand.
