Ajax star Steven Bergwijn has hinted that he expects Antony to join Manchester United in the coming days after wishing his teammate "the best" for the future.
The coveted Ajax forward, who played a crucial role in the team that clinched a third Dutch title in four years under Erik ten Hag last term, has been heavily tipped to reunite with his former boss at Old Trafford this summer.
Ajax have so far resisted Manchester United's attempts to prise the versatile 22-year-old away from Amsterdam. However, United have refused to give up hope of landing one of Ten Hag's primary summer transfer targets and are expected to return with a fresh bid before the September 1 deadline.
After seeing their most recent offer of £67.9million rebuffed by the Dutch champions, United have also been making contingency plans just incase they are unable to persuade Ten Hag's old side to part ways with another first-team star after they finally struck a deal for Lisandro Martinez last month.
But Antony remains desperate to land his dream summer switch and was omitted from the Ajax team that beat Sparta Rotterdam 1-0 this weekend after missing two days training.
And after the match, Bergwijn and another of Antony's Ajax teammates, Dusan Tadic, appeared to drop some pretty big hints over the Brazilian's future.
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The former Tottenham man is quoted by NOS as saying: “I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but everyone has dreams. If it continues, I wish him the best. I’d be sad if he left, but everyone has dreams.”
Meanwhile, Tadic told Voetbal International after the match: “He’s a great player, we know that. We miss him and have to wait and see what will happen. I spoke to him, yes. You always try to talk to players. He is 22 years old, a grown man. He knows what to do. You can always say what you want, but he makes a decision with the club.”
Although both Manchester United and Antony are keen to make a move happen before the summer transfer window slams shut, the Old Trafford hierarchy believe that their most recent offer is a fair indication of the winger's current market value.
PSV Eindhoven star Cody Gakpo has emerged as an alternative target if a deal for Antony cannot be achieved in the next fortnight. The 23-year-old forward was crowned as the Dutch footballer of the year last term after plundering 21 goals in all competitions and would be available for a far more modest sum than Antony.
