Erik ten Hag has reportedly admitted that Antony may be too expensive for Manchester United while Jurrien Timber has supposedly decided against a move to Old Trafford after Louis van Gaal’s World Cup warning.
The Manchester Evening News understands that Frenkie de Jong is Ten Hag's primary target but also has Antony on his wish list. There had been reports that United officials had recently flown to Amsterdam to initiate talks with Ajax.
Meanwhile, former United boss Van Gaal had warned Timber that a move to Old Trafford could put him at risk of not being selected for this winter’s World Cup if he didn't play regularly.
READ MORE: United and Barcelona hopeful of Frenkie de Jong transfer agreement soon
United have been linked with another Ajax player in Lisandro Martinez, who is being priced at around £50m. Ajax are said to be financially stable and have no need to offload more players having seen Ryan Gravenberch, Andre Onana and Sebastian Haller all leave the club already this summer.
Dutch football expert Marcel van der Kraan says that Ajax have valued Antony at £80m while Timber has decided to heed Van Gaal’s advice. He claims that Ten Hag believes the price for Antony will take up too much of his budget as he vies for De Jong’s signature.
Speaking on Sky Sports, he also stated that both United and Arsenal have contacted Martinez regarding talks, adding that money offers “could soon happen”. However, he had some frustrating news regarding Antony and Timber.
Van der Kraan said: “He (Martinez) is an expensive one because Ajax are demanding £45m-£50m for this player. Ajax have no need to sell anymore players.
“Antony, for instance, is worth £80m in the eyes of Ajax. The prices they are asking for are absolutely huge because they have no need to sell.
“They know Man United, like many clubs in Europe at this moment, need players. So it’s a very awkward position Manchester United are in at the moment."
He added: “We’ve heard a lot of names but of course Ten Hag has not approached every player in his squad from last season. Yes there was Timber, but Timber’s decided to stay because Louis Van Gaal told him you might be out of the World Cup team if you go to United and you’re not playing every week there.
“Antony, he (Ten Hag) thinks is a great player but he knows he is too expensive at this moment, and that Frenkie de Jong is much more of an important player for him than Antony.”
Meanwhile, Van der Kraan says that Ten Hag will “stick” with Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane despite the links with Martinez. He outlined: “Martinez, great defender but he (Ten Hag) can’t have two small defenders.
"He needs one big one and that’s why he’s sticking with Maguire and Varane. He wants quality, he needs to bring in quality at United.”
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