How good is Liverpool, Bayern and Barca transfer target Antony?
Away from the bigger clubs in the richer leagues, one team that have undoubtedly lit up the Champions League this season are Ajax.
The Amsterdam side have somehow managed to rebuild yet another team that seemingly revels in picking up big scalps across the continent and at the heart of that team is exciting young winger Antony.
According to Sport1, the Brazilian talent has attracted interest from Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Barcelona because of his blockbuster performances in the Champions League this season.
So just how good is Antony and how much would he end up costing one of Europe’s biggest clubs if they got serious about buying him?
How good is Antony?
Antony made the move to the Netherlands in the summer of 2020, despite technically agreeing to join the club in February of that year, when he signed for Ajax from Sao Paulo for a reported fee of around €15.75 million.
In his first season at the club, the Brazilian winger did perfectly well with 10 goals and 10 assists in 46 games in all competitions. Despite adapting to a new country, culture and style of football, it was perfectly clear that Antony wouldn’t need a huge amount of time to get going at Ajax.
And that’s exactly what he’s shown for the Dutch club this season. In his first 12 games of the season, Antony has bagged no less than four goals and five assists from the right wing, with a particular emphasis on spectacular performances in the Champions League.
Not only did Antony bag two assists against Sporting in Ajax’s first game of the group stages, but he also pestered Borussia Dortmund to no end with a goal in the 4-0 victory over the Bundesliga side in Amsterdam and then three assists in the 3-1 fixture at the Westfalenstadion.
As such, Antony's remarkable rise at Ajax has made a number of Europe’s biggest clubs sit up and take notice of just how quickly he has adapted to European
football.
How much would Antony cost?
Despite spending less than €16m on the winger in 2020, Antony’s current value in the transfer market is no less than €36 million and it’s likely that the Dutch club would demand much more than that if they were forced to sell him.
Indeed, with a contract with Ajax that is set to run until 2025, Antony could end up costing the likes of Bayern, Liverpool or Barcelona as much as €45m in January or the summer window.
However, looking at the player’s performances to date for Ajax, that may not be a bad price to pay for such a talented player.