Manchester United rumored to be preparing £40 million + player offer to sign 22-year-old forward
Manchester United are reportedly preparing to offer Ajax £40 million and youngster Ethan Laird for Antony.
Manchester United have salvaged their transfer window recently by making three new signings. This includes Tyrell Malacia (left-back from Feyenoord), Christian Eriksen (attacking midfielder from Brentford), and Lisandro Martinez (centre-back/defensive midfielder from Ajax). The Argentine centre-back already has experience playing under the Dutch manager.
The club has been interested in Antony since the start of the window. However, their focus has been on other signings. This includes Frenkie de Jong, who is increasingly unlikely to join this summer. Antony scored 12 goals and had ten assists in 33 matches across all competitions last season.
Three wins in three.
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Manchester United could lose Cristiano Ronaldo in the coming weeks amid reports of the Portuguese forward requesting a transfer. Thus, reinforcing the attack is a priority. Ajax initially asked for €80 million for the 22-year-old Brazilian, who has also attracted interest from Liverpool.
However, according to reports, the Red Devils are now preparing an offer of £40 million along with left-back Ethan Laird. The original source of this news was a tweet that has now been deleted. Hence, readers are advised to consume this information with a pinch of salt.
As per journalist Gerjan Hamstelaar, Ajax are interested in Laird, which might make this swap deal possible. Laird is unlikely to receive much game time this season as he is expected to be below Luke Shaw, Alex Telles, and Tyler Malacia in the pecking order.
Manchester United looking to make multiple more signings in the coming weeks
The midfield is a huge issue for the Red Devils. They have lost several midfielders such as Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, and Juan Mata. The 13-time Premier League champions were already in need of a specialist CDM, and have stalled in their efforts to sign Frenkie de Jong.
The de Jong saga has taken multiple twists in the last few weeks, and it is unclear whether the club will be successful in securing his signature eventually.
Regardless, alternatives have already been discussed in the form of Ruben Neves and Youri Tielemans. Moving on, Antony seemed to have been a priority signing even before Cristiano Ronaldo asked to leave the club.
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While the Brazilian in no way can replace the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s goals, he could be an important signing that frees up Marcus Rashford to play as a striker more often. Antony has the versatility to play on either wing and will fit in well with the kind of pacy attackers United already have.
The team under ten Hag has started well in the pre-season by winning three out of three matches so far. The manager needs to be backed to create the kind of squad that can challenge for trophies as soon as possible.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is based on a report that has now been deleted. The piece has been updated after the removal of the original source.