Man Utd finally find Antony suitor, as Ratcliffe learns price of shock new midfield target

Manchester United have received an approach for underwhelming 2022 signing Antony, while the terms for the potential transfer of midfielder Sander Berge have been revealed.

Man Utd spent upwards of £80million on Antony two years ago, with some outlets even claiming the fee to be as high as £86m. Erik ten Hag convinced Man Utd chiefs to spend such a huge sum on the winger after helping him shine at Ajax.

However, Antony has not been able to replicate his Ajax form at Old Trafford. The right-sided attacker has been guilty of plenty of disappointing performances in a Man Utd shirt and has only registered 11 goals and five assists in 82 games for the club so far.

Antony’s tough spell at Man Utd has led to plenty of speculation about him being sold by Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Ratcliffe and his INEOS team view Antony’s capture as a particularly bad deal in terms of value for money.

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On July 29, TEAMtalk revealed that Man Utd are ready to offload Antony in order to help fund some signings of their own.

The Red Devils are willing to accept offers worth just £25m for the 24-year-old as they know his value has dropped dramatically since moving to England.

But suitors for Antony have been few and far between. According to journalist Pete O’Rourke, though, Man Utd now have a concrete opportunity to sell the player.

Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr have made contact with Man Utd officials and formally registered their interest in Antony.

Man Utd transfers: Updates on Antony, Berge

Al-Nassr, who already have former Man Utd star Cristiano Ronaldo on their books, had been hoping to prise Raphinha away from Barcelona. But Raphinha has informed Al-Nassr that he wants to stay at Barca, which has forced the Saudi Pro League outfit to switch their attention to Antony.

The Man Utd flop will be cheaper to sign than Raphinha, too.

It will be very frustrating for Man Utd to sell Antony at around a £60m loss, but his departure will at least boost their transfer funds somewhat and make room in the squad for a new arrival.

Meanwhile, Ratcliffe has discovered what kind of money he will need to put up to land Berge from Burnley.

Man Utd had previously landed on Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte as their No 1 midfield target, but they have failed to strike a deal with the Ligue 1 giants.

This has seen Man Utd recruitment chiefs identify Berge, Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana and Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi as alternative targets.

As per the latest reports in the English press, Burnley are aware of Man Utd’s interest in Berge and have set his price tag at £30m.

A deal at that price would see Burnley make a significant profit on the Norwegian as they only spent £12m to sign him from Sheffield United last summer.

Man Utd are also planning to offer Berge a contract worth £100,000 a week as they try to finalise his signing.

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