Krishnan Sreekumar
Liverpool to provide competition to Manchester United in the transfer race to sign Ajax Amsterdam winger Antony
According to UOLEsporte (h/t Express), Liverpool are set to battle arch-rivals Manchester United in the transfer race to secure the services of Ajax Amsterdam winger Antony ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.
The Merseyside club are currently chasing the quadruple this campaign, having already won the League Cup and FA Cup. They have made it to the final of the Champions League, and are one point behind league leaders Manchester City in the Premier League table.
United, meanwhile, have missed out on qualifying for the UCL next term after enduring a poor season. They could still yet miss out on Europa League qualification if they slip up against Crystal Palace the coming weekend and West Ham United pip them to sixth spot.
Liverpool’s interest in Antony will come as a transfer blow to United, with the Reds being able to offer the player Champions League football next season. Despite having an advantage in the presence of former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag as their new manager at Old Trafford, the Manchester side could miss out on the winger.
Mohamed Salah conundrum for Liverpool
Despite their interest in the Brazilian, Jurgen Klopp’s side could spend the summer transfer window dealing with the current contract situation surrounding star forward Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian King sees his Anfield deal expire at the end of next season, which puts the club in a difficult situation of having to choose whether to sell the player, push forward with a new contract offer, or let his deal run out.
Tying the 29-year-old would be their main priority, which could see their transfer interest in Antony being shelved. This could offer the Red Devils a glimmer of hope in the race to sign the Ajax man, with ten Hag perhaps able to pull a few strings in the next transfer window.
Liverpool owe a lot of their recent success to their attacking trident of Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Sadio Mane. The trio has ripped apart some of the most fearsome defences in world football on their way to a Champions League, Premier League, Super Cup, and Club World Cup trophies in the past.
However, these players are not getting any younger, and Klopp is sure to be on the lookout for potential replacements in the coming years. He has already signed Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota as worthy competitors to his star attackers and may sign a few more players.
Antony is one such star he has set his sights on, but United are also keen on adding the 22-year-old to their attacking ranks. This is another reason why Man Utd would be wise to snatch Antony- so that the gap in quality between the two squads decreases, rather than increases in their fierce rivals’ favour.
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The Old Trafford outfit has been overly reliant on Cristiano Ronaldo to supply the goals, and is in need of another outlet. Antony isn’t really a world-renowned out-and-out goalscorer but he shows incentive to attack and create chances for those around him.
Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga have done their best in 2022 to support Ronaldo, but having someone like Antony in the squad could provide these stars with competition and increase squad depth. Only time will tell if Liverpool’s UCL status or ten Hag’s presence at United will prove to be the deciding factor for Antony.
