Manchester United’s potentially imminent transfer deal for Lisandro Martinez could mean that Ajax are less inclined to sell Antony this summer.
That’s according to Fabrizio Romano in his exclusive column for CaughtOffside via Substack, with the Italian reporter explaining that Man Utd are closing in on the signing of Martinez.
Antony’s situation is less clear for now, with the Red Devils holding an interest in the Brazilian winger, though it largely hinges on what happens with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ajax may also not be too keen on losing two star players to United in the same summer, especially after also seeing manager Erik ten Hag swap Amsterdam for Manchester at the end of last season.
“At the moment Man United and Ajax are only negotiating for Lisandro. Antony is on the Red Devils’ list but there are no official bids yet. Certainly Ajax now have less need to sell players after agreeing the Martinez deal, and this will help them try to keep Antony,” Romano explained.
“United’s interest in Antony also still largely depends on what happens with Cristiano Ronaldo. They plan to keep the Portuguese forward – Ten Hag still rates him as a world class player and wants to build around him – but they will see how the situation evolves before deciding whether or not to step up their efforts to sign Antony.
“Ajax and United have a strong relationship, but the Martinez sale puts the Dutch side in a strong negotiating position because I’m not sure they’ll be happy to lose their manager and two star players to Old Trafford in one summer.”