Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United suffer transfer blow as Ajax Amsterdam star Antony has talks with Juventus
According to Calciomercato (h/t The Sun), Manchester United have suffered a transfer blow in their attempts at signing Ajax Amsterdam star Antony in the summer as the player is moving closer to a move to Juventus.
This is not just bad news for United but also for incumbent Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, who is set to become the next permanent manager of the Red Devils after reaching a verbal agreement with the English club. The Dutchman was hoping to bring in the player along with him when he makes the move to Old Trafford.
It is easy to see why the Holland native wants to bring Antony to Old Trafford, with the winger turning out to be one of the most effective forwards in the team for Ajax this season. The star has grown leaps and bounds since his move to the Netherlands in 2020 from Sao Paulo.
Antony has since become a full Brazil international as well, representing his country on the international stage after playing his way into the national team due to his performances with Ajax over the past couple years.
Bargain price for Antony
Despite his connections with ten Hag, both the manager and United may miss out on signing the 22-year-old to Juventus in the upcoming summer transfer window, as the Italian club have “intensified” talks with Antony’s camps before the end of the season.
Although the winger has a contract with Ajax until the summer of 2025, he is available to be snapped up for a bargain fee of around £29m. The Red Devils will have to fight hard to convince Antony to pick them over the Serie A giants in the coming weeks if they are to stand a chance to snap him up.
The Old Trafford outfit are in desperate need of creative outlets up front as well, given the poor scoring returns we have gotten from our current crop of attackers. Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga had a brief good spell out wide, but their purple patch ended almost as soon as it began.
The lack of creative options in attack have also starved our forwards Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, and Marcus Rashford when they have taken to the pitch. These players seem to have forgotten how to score, and especially in the case of Ronaldo, such a scenario is almost unthinkable.
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Meanwhile, Antony has provided a spark in attack for Ajax since his move to the club in 2020, combining well with Sebastien Haller and Dusan Tadic to provide the goals for ten Hag’s team. With the presence of the Brazilian in his side, ten Hag is on course to win a hat-trick of Eredivisie titles this season as the Amsterdam side sits on top of the league table.
ten Hag enjoyed a lot of success in Holland due to Antony’s productivity in the final third of the pitch. With the Dutchman already taking one step closer to moving to United, it would be a shame if we lose out on one of his most creative sparks as well, if we are to compete for trophies next term under the guidance of the 52-year-old.
