Manchester United are progressing talks to sign 22-year-old winger Antony from AFC Ajax Amsterdam, reports De Telegraaf. Antony, along with Cody Gakpo, is one of the Red Devils’ main candidates to bolster the attack.
To force a move through, the Brazilian missed training and was left out of the squad that beat Sparta Rotterdam 1-0 in their latest league fixture.
Having seen a previous approach rebuffed, United have returned with a 90 million euro bid for the winger. Reports claim that the 22-year-old has asked the Amsterdam club to consider the proposal and that he would like to complete the transfer to England before the end of this week.
Meanwhile, Ajax, according to rumors, are looking at Hakim Ziyech’s potential return from Chelsea to replace Antony.
Antony starred for Ajax under the tutelage of the current Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag. Now a full Brazil international, the youngster joined the Dutch giants in 2020 from Sao Paulo, made 82 appearances, scored 25 goals, and won two league titles.
For the goalkeeping department, Manchester United have approached Newcastle United with the intention of taking 33-year-old custodian Martin Dubravka on loan for the season – initially.
The Slovakia international has lost his spot in the Magpies’ first team following the arrival of Nick Pope from Burnley, his agent confirming his desire to look for a new opportunity in a recent interview.
“He wants to play. Either in Newcastle or somewhere else. He doesn’t just want to cover someone’s back, but he clearly wants to be in goal,”
said Daniel Zik, Dubravka’s representative.
Reports claim that the two clubs are yet to reach an agreement to complete the transfer. Additionally, Dubravka is one of many goalkeepers the Red Devils are monitoring – other names on the list include Kevin Trapp, Odysseas Vlachodimos, and Yann Sommer.
Dubravka joined Newcastle in January 2018 on loan from Sparta Prague, before signing for the Magpies permanently six months later. He made 130 appearances for the Tyneside outfit over four-and-a-half seasons.
