Time for Man Utd to get serious as Antony bid rejected

Robin Bairner

Updated: 23 May 2023 08:46 CDT
4 min read

Manchester United need to step up in the summer transfer window in the aftermath of a bid for Ajax attacker Antony being rejected.

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The Daily Mail reports that the Red Devils offered the Amsterdam club €60 million for the winger only to be knocked back. It has been widely reported that Ajax want something in the region of €80-85m for the player.

Man Utd are currently playing games in the transfer market when they need to be making progress. Pre-season started on Monday for the majority of their squad – a week earlier for their non-international players – and this promises to be a vital period of the club as they rebuild under new manager Erik ten Hag.

As arguably the biggest club in the world, there are no secrets over the Red Devils’ desperation for new signings. Everyone saw the turmoil they endured last term as they finished sixth with their lowest points tally in Premier League history, and equally everyone is aware of the injection of fresh blood they need.

Equally, the Cristiano Ronaldo situation is not helping matters. He has yet to show for pre-season training, and with the club’s tour of Thailand and Australia beginning on Friday, it looks doubtful he will be involved. If their star player can hold them to ransom, so too can a club that is in a healthy financial position, having already completed over €50m of summer sales.

Unfortunately for United, it is Ajax that hold the majority of the cards in this transfer tug-of-war. Yes, Antony wants to move to Old Trafford, but the indications are that he is not about to fight the Eredivisie champions over a business decision that he understands.

Indeed, it would be unsurprising if it this flaky attitude in the transfer market it partly to blame for Ronaldo’s frustrations at the club.

New day, same focus.

Ready for our final training session before #MUTOUR22 👊#MUFC pic.twitter.com/IQmsv5X5VX
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 7, 2022

Man Utd’s fans deserve better

Man Utd fans will need little reminder of how slow the club has been off the mark in the transfer market this summer. So far, only Tyrell Malacia has arrived at the club. While the former Feyenoord man offers tremendous promise, he is likely to be a back-up to Luke Shaw at left-back.

All of the club’s leading targets are stuck in stasis. The deal for Antony appears stuck because of Man Utd’s refusal to meet Ajax’s asking price while a transfer for Frenkie de Jong is complicated by the Netherlands’ star demanding compensation from Barcelona over deferred wage payments.

They have already missed out on other targets while key title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City have armed themselves further with the likes of Darwin Nunez and Erling Haaland.

A ball has not even been kicked in the first pre-season friendly under Ten Hag, but it’s already looking like the Premier League title is beyond Man Utd this season – and unless the club belatedly gets its finger out in the transfer market, they face another embarrassing scrap to finish in the top four. The fans deserve better.