The club consider him a plan B signing
A Premier League side is eyeing up a shock £40m swoop for Manchester United winger Antony.
It is no secret that the Brazilian has had a tough time in Manchester, initially impressing as he scored in his first three games, but failing to kick on from there.
Many United fans have grown frustrated with the 24-year-old who is yet to live up to his £85m price tag after the club brought him in from Ajax in 2022.
Now, Erik ten Hag may have been thrown a lifeline with one Premier League club willing to take a punt on the winger.
According to CaughtOffside, Newcastle are reportedly eyeing up a £40m bid for the player which would be far more than lots of United fans believed they would get back on the club’s investment.
The Magpies have been wanting to sign a new winger for some time now and were heavily linked with a move for former Man United winger Anthony Elanga, now playing at Nottingham Forest, in the last transfer window.
It is reported, however, that if the club cannot sing Elanga, they will look to bring in Antony as an alternative, with £40m being the reported asking price.
Newcastle want to make the move happen in the upcoming January transfer window.
Though this would represent a £45m loss, this would ultimately be a win for The Red Devils, if the attacker does not find form, with claims that scouts only valued the player at £25m when United first signed him.
Related links:
Meanwhile the player’s current value on Transfermarkt sits at about £21m.
Antony has scored some big goals for United, including netting against Arsenal, Manchester City and Barcelona, but his best asset, cutting inside, was found out very quickly, greatly reducing the player’s attacking threat.
The Brazilian has 11 goals and five assists in 83 matches for United, however, he only scored one league goal last season.
Despite this, United might find it difficulty to move Antony on, as the player has consistently reaffirmed that he wants to stay and fight for his place at United, determined to come good.
The player has rejected multiple opportunities to move away from the club, concerning on loan and permanent offers.
Meanwhile, United have begun clearing out much of the considered ‘deadwood’ from the club with the departure of Jadon Sancho similar to the Antony situation.
United bought the exciting English winger from Borussia Dortmund in 2021 for £73m, but, despite showing moments of promise, never reached the expected heights, falling out multiple times with manager Erik ten Hag along the way.
The winger left United in the transfer window just gone on a loan-to-buy deal to Chelsea, with the eventual fee expected to be as little as £20m to £25m.
If The Red Devils do let Antony leave for Newcastle in January, the club will have potentially lost £100m across their Sancho and Antony deals.
