Ten Hag ‘interested’ in £79.5m South American at Old Trafford

Manchester United remain interested in Ajax winger Antony but a deal will not be easy, says transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

The Brazilian winger is thought to be a key target for Erik ten Hag, but Romano has told GIVEMESPORT that his current club are asking for up to €95m (£79.5m), which is causing problems.

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What is the latest news involving Antony?

According to the MailOnline, Ten Hag is keen to reunite with his former player Antony at Old Trafford this summer.

However, the same outlet has stated that Ajax have raised their asking price for the 22-year-old from £68m to around the figure Romano has mentioned.

The Eredivisie side have already sold Lisandro Martinez to United and Sebastien Haller to Borussia Dortmund for big money, so it is no surprise that they are now playing hardball over Antony.

He was an important player for Ten Hag at the Johan Cruyff Arena last season, making 32 appearances in all competitions. Across those games, he managed to score 12 goals.

What has Romano said about Antony to United?

Romano says Antony is not an easy deal for United to do due to how much money Ajax are asking for.

Speaking to GMS, the Italian journalist said: “They are interested but not at Ajax’s conditions as of now. So they know Ajax are asking for more than €80m, €80m guaranteed plus add-ons to arrive to maybe 85, 90, 95, so it’s definitely not an easy one. It’s definitely not an easy one.”

Who else could United sign this summer?

In terms of alternatives to Antony, Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech, another player Ten Hag knows well, is someone who United could turn to.

According to Nabil Djellit, Ten Hag has made the 29-year-old one of his priorities. At the same time, though, the journalist has also stated that others at the club are not too keen on a move for him.

Ziyech has had a mixed time at Chelsea. He, of course, won the Champions League with them in the 2020/21 season, but he made just 15 league starts that campaign and 14 the one after.

Still, on his day, he is a quality player. Speaking about one of the Moroccan’s performances last term, United legend Gary Neville said on his podcast (via MailOnline): “He has got that [Riyad] Mahrez-feel about him, with a dip of the left shoulder and a lovely left foot.

“He puts lovely deliveries in from set-pieces and it was a brilliant, brilliant goal.”

At this stage of the transfer window, United could do a lot worse than Ziyech. If Antony is off the table, then the Chelsea winger could be a smart alternative.

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