Manchester United face stiff competition from Premier League rivals Chelsea, Italian giants Juventus and bitter rivals Liverpool in their hunt for Ajax winger Antony.
The Red Devils have been widely linked with a move for the Brazilian forward, as Erik ten Hag looks towards a reunion with his former player at the Theatre of Dreams.
According to a report by Talksport’s Alex Crook, United are still keen on adding the 22-year-old to their attacking ranks, with Ten Hag looking to bolster a seemingly thin attacking line. United are said to not have given up their pursuit of Antony, with a fee in the region of €70m likely to bring the Dutch club to the negotiating table.
United however are not the only club interested in the highly rated Brazilian who has made a total of 79 appearances for Ajax, scoring 23 goals in the process.
Football Insider recently reported that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is a big fan of the player, with the club already making an approach to bring him to Merseyside. Liverpool are rumored to have held talks with the Eredivisie champions about a potential switch to the Premier League for Antony.
However, while Liverpool have registered their interest in the nine-capped Brazil international, they are not expected to meet Ajax’s valuation which the English club deems too high. Jurgen Klopp has already splashed big money on the transfer of Uruguayan Darwin Nunez from Benfica, which would render a move for Antony out of the club’s reach.
London club Chelsea have also been linked with the Manchester United target. The Blues are reportedly warming to the idea of signing the Ajax star after encountering difficulties over other attacking transfer targets. The club was heavily tipped as Antony’s compatriot, Raphinha’s, new home. The former Leeds player however preferred a move to Barcelona over the West London outfit.
Thomas Tuchel could be backed in his pursuit of Antony by Todd Boehly’s fresh consortium of owners who have already concluded mega deals for Raheem Sterling and Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
A week ago, news outlet 90min revealed that Antony was coming back into Chelsea’s crosshairs as the club’s hierarchy was pondering over whether to intensify their interest in the Brazilian.
Chelsea have also reportedly made contact with the 22-year-old’s entourage to reaffirm their interest in his signature in a potential switch to Stamford Bridge.
The Ajax winger has also been linked with a move to Juventus. The Turin club are intensifying their contacts, lining him up as a Paulo Dybala replacement who has joined Roma. With the club seemingly short in attack after the Argentine’s departure, it would make sense that the Old Lady would be in for Antony.
Despite interest from other major players in Europe, United fans can take comfort in the fact that the Brazilian is said to really want to work with his former manager and has instructed his agents to convince Ajax to sell him.
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