Antony transfer saga is now lose-lose for Man Utd

Karan Tejwani

20 Aug 2022 09:55 CDT
4 min read

Earlier this week, Ajax rejected an offer from Manchester United, believed to be for a fee of around €80 million and further denting the Red Devils’ plans.

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Antony is one of Manchester United’s top targets, with Erik ten Hag a keen admirer of the player having worked with him at Ajax between 2020 and 2022, being impressed by the qualities he brought to his team.

United have been interested in Antony for much of the summer, and even launched an offer for him as early as July, believed to be around €60 million.

Ajax want a big fee for the winger, who is widely considered to be one of their most gifted players, despite an injury-plagued end to the 2021/22 season.

Situation is a win-win for Ajax

Regardless of the what happens in the remainder of the transfer window, Ajax are in a position where this will feel like a win-win situation, and it could be said that it’s the opposite for Manchester United.

Ajax are known to be stern negotiators, as seen most recently when they got a package worth €67 million from Manchester United for Lisandro Martinez, and it’ll be the same for Antony.

They’re in a position where they don’t need to sell players, least of all Antony, who has been so important to them in recent times and has made a great start to the season, with a goal and assist in his most recent league match.

So, by the end of the window, they will either get to keep hold of one of their best players for another season, or, Manchester United come in with a big offer – reportedly €100 million – and Ajax bag a lot of money.

De magie van Antony 🪄🤩#ajagro pic.twitter.com/RW5XKgEJ8A
— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) August 15, 2022

It's unlikely that there's a drop off in Antony's performances for Ajax too, or a lack of motivation, as there's a World Cup around the corner and he's active in the Brazil squad, as well as the fact that there are players to replace him for Ajax.

It’s fair to say that while Antony is an excellent footballer, he’s perhaps not a €100 million footballer yet, and that’s not to say he can’t be it, but his injury record and general output is low to be valued at that.

Of course, he is of importance to Ajax, but €100 million would be an indication of Manchester United’s increasing desire to get him in the final days of the window, with Ajax taking advantage of that.

The Dutch champions already have replacements in the side – the likes of Steven Bergwijn, Steven Berghuis and possibly Mohamed Ihattaren can play there – with former star Hakim Ziyech lined up as a possible incoming too.

The fee of €100 million would be a steep and risky investment for Manchester United, and it could well pay off in the coming years – Antony certainly has the talent for it – but there’ll be big pressure on his shoulders.

Manchester United have been known to spend big in the final days of the window – often out of desperation – and it seems like they could be suckered into that once again here.

If they do so here again, it could well be another piece of trouble: a smarter call would be to get an alternative, perhaps wait for another summer and line up a deal in place for next season.