Manchester United's approach for Ajax winger Antony could have a domino effect on Chelsea and their transfer business in the next week. Their move for the Brazilian will impact the Dutch club trying to find a replacement, with links surrounding a return for Blues' forward Hakim Ziyech.
The 29-year-old has struggled to get his Chelsea career flying since joining in 2020 for roughly £36million, making 84 appearances for the club in all competitions, with 14 goals scored and 10 assists. His role under Thomas Tuchel in particular has been unknown, without a position to call his own in the system.
The German coach admitted back in February that it was tough to get him in the side, failing to start him in the Club World Cup final. "We switched systems lately. If we play in a back four, a 4-1-4-1, with a right winger position - this suits Hakim [Ziyech] very best," said Tuchel.
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"This position was not available from the start in the final so we took the tactical decision to play with the back three, so did not leave us with the same position for Hakim, so he came from the bench." With the back three system currently utilised, there appears to be no place for him in the first-team, leading to a potential exit.
While there was talk of a move to AC Milan, those links have since been mooted, with much more surrounding a return to Amsterdam. However, while there could be a wait for Manchester United to impact that move, there could be another issue on top of that.
That's because De Telegraaf reports that the two clubs have different plans for the Moroccan, with Ajax simply wanting a loan deal while Chelsea want a permanent exit. The Blues are said to be asking for a €40million (£34million) transfer fee - the same amount they paid to sign him two years ago.
With one week left in the window, there is still time to iron out these issues to reach an agreement. But it may take some major work for both to meet in the middle, as well as some intervention from United.
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