Manchester United target Antony is doing his part to force a move to the Premier League side, according to Graeme Bailey.
Despite picking up a huge win on Monday night, United have started poorly this season and are desperately looking to sign star players, with Casemiro coming through the door recently.
Another big name they are looking to bring in is Ajax’s Antony, who the club have been heavily linked with all summer. While a deal is yet to be done, despite United’s huge bid of €80m (£67m) being rejected, they are set to offer an improved bid.
Luckily for United, Bailey has revealed Antony is doing all he can to force Ajax into accepting a bid, and that the player has told the Dutch giants it is time for them to sell him, while the club are preparing for his departure.
Bailey told the Talking Transfers podcast: “He’s doing his part now, he really is stepping up now, he’s telling Ajax, ‘look, the time is now’, he wants to go, he spoke to United.
“United are talking to his representatives now about doing the deal, personal terms, because we’ve only got a few weeks left now, it needs to get done.
“And Ajax are expecting a bid, Ajax are expecting this – and they are planning for his potential departure.”
TIF Thoughts on Antony to United…
The 22-year-old has impressed during his brief time at Ajax, especially last season – under current United boss Erik ten Hag, of course – as he picked up 12 goals and 10 assists in all competitions and ranked in the 99th percentile for assists and in the 98th for progressive carries per game.
However, spending north of €80m on a player who has only impressed in the Eredivisie could be seen as a huge risk. And with links to Cody Gakpo, who picked up 21 goals and 15 assists for PSV and is reportedly available for £42m, surely moving for the Dutchman is the safer option.
There is no doubt Antony is a talented player with bags of potential, but with the current situation and turmoil around the club, bringing in another player for a huge fee who is not guaranteed to shine feels like a story we have seen before at United.
Should United sign Antony?Yes
No
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