Double Deal Announcement – Erik ten Hag vetoed by Man Utd board over two transfer targets after Antony deal
Manchester United is likely to make Antony their sixth acquisition of the summer transfer season, but the fee they paid to complete the deal has had ramifications.
Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, will not be allowed to strengthen two vital positions at the club despite being back in his pursuit of Antony from Ajax.
The Premier League club has negotiated a €100 million (£84 million) fee for the 22-year-old. United may have had to pay a premium to clinch the transfer, but it signals a victory for Ten Hag, who had prioritized Antony’s arrival throughout the summer.
The gifted forward has been pushing for a move and is desperate to leave Amsterdam after two successful seasons. The Brazilian international went on strike at the club, according to Mirror Football, in an attempt to force a transfer.
Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, will not be allowed to strengthen two vital positions at the club despite being backed in his pursuit of Antony from Ajax.
The Premier League club have negotiated a €100 million (£84 million) fee for the 22-year-old. United may have had to pay a premium to clinch the transfer, but it signals a victory for Ten Hag, who had prioritized Antony’s arrival throughout the summer.
The gifted forward has been pushing for a move and is desperate to leave Amsterdam after two successful seasons. The Brazilian international went on strike at the club, according to Mirror Football, in an attempt to force a transfer.
However, the club’s transfer budget has now been depleted by late deals to sign Casemiro, Antony, and Dubravka this transfer window. That means Ten Hag’s wish to sign Borussia Dortmund right-back Thomas Meunier, as reported by the Telegraph, will not be realized.
Diogo Dalot is Manchester United’s first-choice right-back, with the club willing to sell Aaron Wan-Bissaka on a loan or for a fee of £10 million – significantly less than his £50 million arrival from Crystal Palace in 2019. In either scenario, any club’s pursuit of him has come too late in the transfer window to find another right-back.
Sergino Dest, a full-back from Barcelona, was offered to United. The United States international was a reported transfer target for United after Ten Hag gave him his professional debut at Ajax before joining Barcelona in a £22 million deal in 2020.
