Antony: Manchester United agree to sign Ajax winger for £81.3m

Manchester United have confirmed they have reached agreement to sign Brazil winger Antony from Ajax.

It is subject to a medical, personal terms being finalised and international clearance.

Antony, 22, scored 24 goals and provided 22 assists in 82 appearances for Ajax.

He joined the Dutch champions from Sao Paulo in 2020 and played for them under Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag's management.

The deal includes a potential 5m euros (£4.27m) of add-ons - making him United's second most expensive signing, ahead of the £80m paid for defender Harry Maguire.

The £89m paid for Paul Pogba remains the club's record.

Antony, who contributed to seven goals in his 11 Champions League appearances for Ajax, made his international debut for Brazil in October 2021 and has two goals in nine appearances.

United travel to Leicester City in their next Premier League fixture on Thursday, but Antony would need to receive a work permit before making an appearance.

With the transfer deadline looming, speculation remains as to whether Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at the club following concerns about how the 37-year-old's mood is affecting morale in the camp.

Big-money signing in a record-breaking window

In terms of record Premier League signings, only Pogba's return to United in 2016, Chelsea's £97.5m re-signing of Romelu Lukaku last summer and Manchester City's British record £100m deal for Jack Grealish, also in 2021, have cost more.

The attacker becomes United's fifth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of his former Ajax team-mate, defender Lisandro Martinez, midfielder Casemiro from Real Madrid, full-back Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord and playmaker Christian Eriksen on a free transfer.

United have spent more than £210m in this transfer window to back new boss Ten Hag, while several players such as Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, Nemanja Matic, Edinson Cavani and Andreas Pereira have left.

Record-breaking total spending by all Premier League clubs in this summer transfer window, which closes at 23:00 BST on Thursday, is now at more than £1.6bn - exceeding the previous record of £1.4bn in 2017.

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United's summer spending puts the Glazer family's total outlay on transfer fees alone at 1.9bn euros (£1.62bn at current exchange rates) under the 17-year ownership - according to figures from Transfermarkt.

In that same period, only Manchester City (2.37bn euros) and Chelsea (2.19bn euros) have a bigger outlay on transfers.

United fans have organised multiple protests against the Americans' ownership in recent years - including before last week's 2-1 win over Liverpool.

Analysis - 'statement signing Ten Hag wanted'

Simon Stone, BBC Sport reporter:

This is the statement signing Erik ten Hag has been wanting to make all summer - and the fee underlines how keen United were to satisfy their new manager before Thursday's deadline closes.

Predominately left-footed, Antony likes to cut in off the right flank. He has exceptional pace, an ability to create chances from nothing and a willingness to work hard.

In a sense, he is very much like the players who already occupy the wide positions at United.

But it is clear Ten Hag wants greater depth and higher quality. He has already worked out that - as a collective - the players he inherited were not good enough.

The big question is whether Antony's arrival will trigger a change of system - or put someone's place under threat, or both.

And, as ever, debate will be around Ronaldo and how he fits in a team which has even more pace than before.

Reaction - 'Spectacular, but not a big goalscorer'

Dutch journalist, Marcel van der Kraan, speaking on BBC's Monday Night Club:

"The former Netherlands national team manager Bert van Marwijk said in his De Telegraaf column that Manchester United are not going to get a big goalscorer here. The player never scored more than eight or nine goals in a league season in the Eredivisie. I do think he should have scored more.

"When you look at his transfer fee, you would expect a player to score plenty of goals for that, as a forward for Manchester United.

"But Van Marwijk did say he is a spectacular player. He can create a lot when you have to open a defence. He will give you the assists and bring spectacle to Old Trafford. That's what he put the emphasis on because he thinks maybe that will help Ten Hag.

"And at the same time, is he the player who will really put the pressure on when you need to press the way Ten Hag wants to play with this team? That's the big question. Physically he's only been used to the Dutch Eredivisie so far since leaving Brazil.

"But he's a boy with a bit of a character, he's come from one of the favelas, he's had a hard upbringing, he wants to look after his family and they're usually the players with a bit of 'grinta' [determination] as Lisandro Martinez says, who want to fight for every yard on the pitch."

BBC pundit and former Manchester City and England defender Micah Richards said:

"It doesn't satisfy United's need for a goalscorer. But did Manchester City need Jack Grealish last summer when they were talking about a striker before they got Erling Haaland? No. But it's another body. In the Champions League Antony was unbelievable as well.

"We all can see that Manchester United need a striker. Getting bodies in is great for the atmosphere, great for competition, and can only get the standards of the team higher. Yes it might be too much money, but from all that I've seen of him, I think he's terrific.

"The manager knows exactly what he can do, he trusts him. They build on that and in the next window then they get a striker. I don't see any negativity in this deal. I think he will flourish as long as Manchester United play on the front foot."

Fellow BBC pundit Chris Sutton said:

"From Ten Hag's point of view he's at his strongest in terms of recruiting players when he first goes in [as United manager] and he's a player who Ten Hag knows. Because of that, there's a lot of pressure on Antony to perform because Ten Hag's judgment will come into question.

"They've spent a lot of money but that's not an issue from Ten Hag's point of view because he wants the best possible player in."

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