Tag: Anthony

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BREAKING: Man United agree fee to sign Antony from Ajax

Anthony

Mueez Ajao

– Manchester United have agreed a fee to sign winger Antony from Ajax, it was confirmed Tuesday.

– Sources told that the deal is worth an initial €95 million with another €5m in add-ons, which will make it the second-most-expensive transfer in United’s history behind Paul Pogba, who joined from Juventus for a then-world-record £89.3m (€105m) in 2016.

– The deal is subject to a medical, player terms being finalised and international clearance.

Also Read: Ajax reject Man United’s bumper bid for Anthony

– Antony will be reunited with his former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag, who will complete his fifth signing of the summer after bringing in Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro.

Lisandro Martinez and Anthony
Anthony and Lisandro Martinez

– The 22-year-old will give United another option in attack after Anthony Martial suffered an Achilles tendon injury in the 2-1 win against Liverpool last week.

– Antony signed for Ajax from Sao Paulo in 2020 and has made 82 appearances for the Eredivisie giants, scoring 25 goals.

– He has also been capped nine times for Brazil, scoring twice.

– Ten Hag’s side have responded to back-to-back defeats to Brighton and Brentford with victories against Liverpool and Southampton, lifting them off the bottom of the Premier League table.

– This is the statement signing Erik ten Hag has been wanting to make all summer – and the fee underlines how keen United were to satisfy their new manager before Thursday’s deadline closes.

– Predominately left-footed, Antony likes to cut in off the right flank. He has exceptional pace, an ability to create chances from nothing and a willingness to work hard.

– In a sense, he is very much like the players who already occupy the wide positions at United.

– But it is clear Ten Hag wants greater depth and higher quality. He has already worked out that – as a collective – the players he inherited were not good enough.

– The big question is whether Antony’s arrival will trigger a change of system – or put someone’s place under threat, or both.

– And, as ever, debate will be around Ronaldo and how he fits in a team which has even more pace than before.

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BREAKING: Man United reach agreement with Ajax to sign Antony

Anthony

Mueez Ajao

– Manchester United are close to agreeing a deal for Ajax winger Antony.

– Negotiations between the clubs have progressed well over the weekend and there is now confidence an agreement will be reached before the transfer deadline on Thursday.

– United have had bids of €80m and €90m rejected by Ajax — the latest on Friday — but the Dutch side have indicated they are willing to accept an offer of close to €99m.

Also Read: Ajax reject Man United’s bumper bid for Anthony

– Sources have told that the deal is not done, but a breakthrough in negotiations has significantly increased the likelihood of an agreement being reached in the remaining days of the window.

– Antony has made it clear he wants to leave Ajax to be reunited with his former manager Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.

– Ten Hag is keen to bolster his forward line before the close of the window, particularly after Anthony Martial picked up an achilles injury.

– The France international missed the first two games of the season with a hamstring problem sustained during preseason.

– Antony would become United’s fifth summer signing following the arrivals of Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro.

– The winger, capped nine times by Brazil, scored 12 goals in 33 games for Ajax last season.

– He arrived in Amsterdam from Sao Paulo in 2020 for an initial €15m fee.

– The 22-year-old was left out of the Ajax squad for their 1-0 win over Sparta Rotterdam last weekend and also missed the fixture against Utrecht on Sunday, while United remained locked in talks with the Dutch champions.

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Ajax reject Man United’s bumper bid for Anthony

Anthony

Mueez Ajao

– Ajax have rejected Manchester United’s improved £76million bid for Brazilian winger Antony.

– The Dutch champions and coach Alfred Schreuder are insisting that the 22-year-old is not for sale despite the scale of the offer.

– Antony is desperate to join United, having trained on his own in recent days, and now hopes Ajax’s finance directors intervene, reasoning that such an offer may not come again.

Also Read: Man U willing to re-sign Depay before transfer deadline

– He and his representatives had been growing frustrated over the time it was taking United to make their improved bid as he hoped to be a United player by this weekend.

– However, Ajax are standing firm. They have been struggling to find a suitable replacement after Chelsea refused to sanction a loan deal for Hakim Ziyech, saying they preferred to sell for £37m.

– Ajax have discussed Fulham target Justin Kluivert at Roma and Aston Villa’s Anwar El Ghazi but have still to agree on a main candidate.

– United are now considering whether to increase their offer with Antony’s camp believing £84m could be Ajax’s desired price. For now the player is refusing to train and will be left out of the squad to face Utrecht this weekend.

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Ajax reject Man United’s bumper bid for Antony

Anthony

Mueez Ajao

– Ajax have rejected an €80million bid from Manchester United for their Brazilian winger Antony, according to David Ornstein.

– The Red Devils have been chasing Antony ever since Erik ten Hag became the club’s new manager back in May.

– The Premier League side went into the summer transfer window full of optimism, with Frenkie de Jong, Antony, Jurrien Timber and Darwin Nunez all linked with a move to Old Trafford.

Also Read: Man United target Athletico Matheus Cunha

– Two months later, they have not convinced De Jong to join and Antony and Timber are still with Ajax in Amsterdam, with the latter this week signing a new contract at Ajax.

– Nunez, meanwhile, joined arch-rivals Liverpool in July for a reported club-record fee.

– It appears that United have finally accepted defeat in their pursuit of De Jong having registered an interest in Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot and Real Madrid’s Casemiro.

– They had a £15m bid for Rabiot accepted by the Serie A side, however, could not come to an agreement on personal terms.

– United’s pursuit of Casemiro is looking pretty positive with Madrid reportedly open to letting him leave for the right price.

– A wide forward is still on the agenda for Ten Hag and the Red Devils have been linked with Atletico Madrid winger Yannick Carrasco this week.

– And according to The Athletic correspondent David Ornstein, United have revived their interest in Antony after focusing on other targets over the past few weeks.

– Ornstein claims the Premier League club made a huge €80m (£67.6m) bid to sign the Brazilian, but it was rejected by Ajax.

– It has been reported that Ajax are hoping to receive £80m (€94m) for the 22-year-old.

– It will be a huge challenge for Manchester United to complete the signing of Antony, though Ten Hag is desperate to improve his forward line.

– Following the rejection of their most recent bid, the Red Devils’ hierarchy are ‘not optimistic’ in bringing the former Sao Paulo winger to the club.

– Ajax are unsurprisingly very keen to retain the player and it is believed that PSV winger Cody Gakpo is a more realistic target for United.

– United are still prioritising a central midfielder, but are still in the market for a winger, striker, right-back and back-up goalkeeper.

– It promises to be a hectic final two weeks of the summer window for the Premier League club.

– The clubs’ fans are in dire need of some positive news following United’s torrid start to the Premier League season.

– They were beaten 2-1 by Brighton at Old Trafford on the opening weekend of the season before an embarrassing 4-0 loss at Brentford last Saturday.