Manchester United
Premier League • England
Top Man Utd source reveals ‘most obvious’ January sale, with transfer to delight fans
Antony has been named as the ‘most obvious’ candidate to be sold by Manchester United in January, as the squad revamp under Ruben Amorim gets underway.
Man Utd spent big money when backing Amorim’s predecessor Erik ten Hag, which saw players such as Antony, Casemiro, Mason Mount and Joshua Zirkzee arrive at Old Trafford in expensive deals. But Ten Hag failed to get the best out of a number of his signings – most notably Antony – and this was one of the reasons why he got sacked.
Antony made his first appearance under Amorim on Thursday night, playing 60 minutes as a right wing-back in the Portuguese’s new 3-4-2-1 system.
However, the Brazilian – who usually operates further forward as a right winger – failed to impress Amorim and was hooked on the hour mark, with Amad coming on to replace him.
Antony will likely struggle for minutes in United’s new era as Ten Hag was known to be his main supporter at the club.
The Athletic’s United reporter, Laurie Whitwell, has now named Antony as the ‘most obvious’ player who will be put up for sale when the January transfer window opens.
The Red Devils need to sell players in order to give Amorim a larger transfer budget and Antony is a prime candidate as he has failed miserably in justifying his colossal price tag.
United originally paid £82m rising to £86m (up to €103.4m / $109.2m) to sign Antony after he shone for Ten Hag at Ajax.
Whitwell adds that United will have to take a ‘drastic’ financial hit when finally getting the 24-year-old off their books.
Some reports have claimed he is now worth £40m, while others have suggested he might be on the move for as little as £25m.
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Antony has no future at Man Utd
Last week, it emerged that Amorim ‘does not consider’ Antony to be an important member of his squad, which has resulted in speculation of a move to Turkey.
The Turkish press claim Besiktas have made an approach over signing him on loan, which could set up a permanent move at a later date.
Antony has also been linked with Premier League clubs including Newcastle United and Crystal Palace, as well as Saudi Pro League teams.
While Amorim has players such as Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui who are capable of playing in the right wing-back role, the manager could reunite with one of his former Sporting CP stars to bolster the position further.
Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that United have held discussions with agent Jorge Mendes over 17-year-old wide man Geovany Quenda, who enjoyed a rapid rise at Sporting under Amorim.
Although, Liverpool, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain look set to follow United’s footsteps by holding their own talks with Mendes.
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Meanwhile, reports in Italy state United are preparing to move for Victor Osimhen over Viktor Gyokeres.
It is claimed United have drawn up a player-plus-cash bid to send to Napoli which includes flop signing Zirkzee.
However, TEAMtalk understands Gyokeres remains firmly on Amorim’s radar for the summer, despite links with Osimhen.
Leroy Sane is another attacker United are keeping tabs on as he heads towards free agency.
United are rivalling Arsenal for Sane in case Bayern Munich fail to tie the winger down to fresh terms.
Journalist Christian Falk has given United a lift by shutting down a claim involving Sane and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.