Manchester United's deal that will secure the signing of Ajax attacking star Antony caused internal conflict within the Dutch club.
The Premier League outfit have agreed an £84million deal to bring the 22-year-old to Old Trafford. United may have been forced to pay a premium to secure the transfer but it represents a triumph for Erik ten Hag, who had prioritised Antony’s arrival all summer.
The talented forward has been pushing for the move and desperately wants to leave Amsterdam after two impressive campaigns. Mirror Football exclusively reported that the Brazil international had gone on strike at the club in order to force through a move.
United’s interest in Antony had been long-standing due to Ten Hag’s insistence and the club had seen two transfer offers knocked back for the Brazilian. Eventually, the Dutch club have agreed to enter in negotiations ahead of a move being completed – yet it was not without some internal rancour at the Amsterdam club.
As outlined by a report in De Telegraaf, the club’s technical manager Gerry Hamstra, his right-hand man Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and boss Alfred Schreuder had all been against the deal. Ajax had lost a series of important players this summer, including Lisandro Martinez to United, and had been adamant that no more stars would depart.
Yet the ‘football’ leaders were overruled by the club’s hierarchy, with the board stepping in and instructing them that so high was the transfer fee on the table, the club should use this opportunity to cash-in on the player.
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Ajax boss Schreuder lamented on Sunday, after his side’s latest Eredivisie clash, when discussing the player’s future: "Nowadays, everything is about money. I find this sad. But this is our world, it's very sad and I don't approve that these things are happening at us." "I want to talk about the game, not about Antony. I have said more than enough about this."
Antony played 33 games last season for the Dutch giants, where he scored 12 goals and provided 10 assists before missing the final segment of the campaign through injury. He also played nine games in the South American Qualifiers for the World Cup for the Brazilian national team and scored two goals.
Meanwhile, United’s transfer business is not set to end there. Despite being on the verge of clinching Antony’s signature, Ajax’s Eredivisie title rivals PSV Eindhoven believe United will make a bid for their talented forward Cody Gakpo this week. The Dutch club missed out on Champions League group stage qualification and their financial need for sales is now greater.
United are also in the market for a new right-back – should Aaron Wan-Bissaka leave the club this week, with former club Crystal Palace interested in a deal – while they are also set to secure the loan signing of goalkeeper Martin Dubravka from Newcastle.
