Manchester United have been reportedly dealt a blow in their pursuit of Ajax winger Antony as the Dutch club have turned down United’s latest offer.
The Red Devils recently concluded their final pre-season game at Old Trafford after being held to a 1-1 draw against the Spanish side, Rayo Vallecano. The game saw the Red Devils feature new signings Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez, although fullback signing Tyrell Malacia was missing.
Fans have been vocal about the lack of goals against a relatively weaker side in Vallecano, begging the question of whether the club will sign reinforcements in the forward department or not. One name that has been consistently mentioned throughout the transfer window is Ajax’s Antony. United have been pursuing the Brazilian winger for multiple weeks now and have had their recent bid rejected.
ArseDevils had recently reported that United were still in pursuit of the Brazillian, although their progress was getting hampered by outlandish demands from Ajax. The trend of gradually increasing their asking price has continued for Ajax as the Dutch Champions once again rejected Man United’s advances.
According to DailyMail, the Amsterdam-based club have now upped their asking price from £68 million to £84 million. In a bid to scare away the Manchester giants, the Ajax board has returned to the table with near-impossible demands. Reports from Goal also suggest a similar tale as the journalists over at the company have reported similar numbers in regards to United’s rejected bid and Ajax’s new asking price.
The folks over at Amsterdam won’t be too happy as Ten Hag has continued to raid his former club for players such as Jurrien Timber (a deal that eventually never happened) and Lisandro Martinez, along with his former assistant coach, his former video analyst, and now he’s back at the club trying to strike a deal for the 22-year-old.
Despite these advances, new Ajax manager Alfred Schreuder has continued to reassure the media that Antony is not for sale. In a recent interview, the Ajax gaffer told ESPN:
“I really think he will stay… we have also bought players. But we have sold so many players that I assume nobody will leave. If we sell one more key player, it wouldn’t be good for us.”
And by upping their asking price for the player, Ajax are effectively blocking the move from taking place.
See More:
- Agent of Manchester United Superstar Hold Talks With Former Club Regarding a Potential Move
- Manchester United Preparing Bid for €70 Rated Serie A Midfielder, Talks Already Between the Two Clubs
- Erik Ten Hag Pushing Manchester United Board to Sign €40m Rated Serie A Full-back
United continue to struggle with the Frenkie De Jong deal which has been at a stalemate for well over two months now. The manager would be hoping to get his preferred reinforcements in as quickly as possible to effectively get underway with the new season.
Antony scored 12 and assisted 10 across all competitions last season (stats via transfermarkt). Certainly stellar figures, but perhaps numbers not worth the alleged £84 million valuation the Dutch giants have set for him. The player would face competition from wide forwards at the club like Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, but Antony could provide a different dimension to the team’s frontline.
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