Manchester United reach €100m deal to buy Antony from Ajax

Ajax's Antony has a shot at goal.

Manchester United are poised to buy Antony after agreeing to pay Ajax €100m for the Brazil forward, who is expected to sign a contract on Monday.

Agreement between the clubs has been agreed in principle, with a contract until June 2027 with option to extend to 2028. 

Last week the Dutch club rejected an offer of €90m – United’s third bid for the 22-year-old – but talks have continued in recent days and United made a breakthrough on Sunday after a smooth series of discussions. 

The final part of negotiations focused on the structure of the deal, with Antony now set to become Erik ten Hag’s fifth summer signing and the second-most expensive transfer in United’s history behind Paul Pogba. It will be the largest fee received by a Dutch club.

Alfred Schreuder, the Ajax manager, insisted on Thursday that he was confident Antony – who has 31 goals in 134 appearances since joining from São Paulo in 2020 for an initial £13m – would not leave in this window. Asked whether that had changed after his side’s 2-0 win against Utrecht on Sunday, Schreuder said: “I stick to those words. I want to talk about the game, not about Antony. I have said more than enough about this.” 

He added: “Everything is about money … I think this is sad. But this is our world, it’s very sad and I don’t approve that these things at all.” 

Ten Hag wants the Brazilian to strengthen his striking options. The manager has Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Elanga, Anthony Martial and Cristiano Ronaldo.

United have spent more than £100m during this window on Lisandro Martínez, Tyrell Malacia and Casemiro, and it would be a surprise if Antony were not the final signing.

The fee for Antony, with add-ons factored in, surpasses the £80m United paid Leicester to sign Harry Maguire in July 2019 but falls short of the £93.2m spent on Pogba in August 2016.

Meanwhile, reports claim Liverpool have a verbal agreement with Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham, with the 19-year-old potentially making a move to Anfield in January. 

Liverpool are also monitoring Wolves and Portugal midfielder Ruben Neves, who scored in the 1-1 draw with Newcastle on Sunday. 

Under pressure Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard reported has a deal in place to sign Southampton centre-back Jan Bednarek.