Man Utd have a new plan they hope will help them forge a breakthrough for Antony, and Ajax have been told what it entails, according to a report.
The Red Devils have been chasing the Brazilian winger for much of the summer. The 22-year-old has been identified as a versatile striker capable of making an instant impact at Old Trafford.
Helping his cause if he signs will be the fact that he knows well the system that Erik ten Hag deploys.
The Manchester United manager is determined to reunite with Antony. In fact, Sky Sports defines Antony Ten Hag as his “number one target” now that Casemiro has been signed.
United have already rejected a strong bid worth £67.6m. Ajax are very reluctant to lose another of their best assets after already seeing several key players poached this summer.
However, the cracks in his defense have begun to show.
Reports in the Dutch press claimed that they have begun to size up possible replacements. Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech is at the top of his wish list.
Antony also trained solo on Friday and Saturday and was left out of their 1-0 win over Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday.
Antony is desperate to join Man Utd, although Ajax won’t make it easy.
Antoni’s offer has been improved in two ways
They are understood to value Antony at around €100m (around £85m). This number is much higher than those quoted earlier in the window, and may be the result of having already lost so many influential stars.
Regardless, the Sky Sports Man Utd report has tipped Ajax that an improved offer is on the way.
But instead of increasing the final number involved, United has an additional plan. They will also reportedly increase the initial payment Ajax will receive in the potential deal.
Adding his opinion to the story, Fabrizio Romano confirmed that personal terms between United and Antony are now in place.
He echoed Sky’s report when he tweeted that “all parties” expect an improved offer from United to be presented very soon.
Could Man Utd sign Cody Gakpo too?
Another striker on United’s radar is PSV Eindhoven’s Cody Gakpo.
The 23-year-old is available for a much more modest £35m. According to CaughtOffside, United have hammered out an agreement on personal terms with the Dutchman.
It is unclear whether United intend to sign Gakpo and Antony. Pursuing deals on two fronts could be a case of United playing it safe to ensure they are not left empty-handed if No.1 target Antony does not join.
However, if CaughtOffside’s reports are accurate and they are citing Dutch sources, it now appears that there is a move from Gakpo.