Antony's agent flies to Manchester to thrash out mega-money Man Utd transfer

Manchester United are making headway in their pursuit of Ajax winger Antony as his agent has travelled to the United Kingdom for official negotiations.

Erik ten Hag is keen to reunite with his former player this summer transfer window and a fee of £68million has been mooted for the Brazil international, 22. United were handed a major boost earlier this week as Ajax appeared to sign a direct replacement for Antony in the form of Portuguese forward Francisco Conceicao.

Having failed with a £51million bid for the Sao Paulo native at the start of July, Old Trafford chiefs must decide whether they stump up more cash to meet the Amsterdam giants' valuation. In the meantime, the Red Devils are set to hold talks with one of Antony's agents with a view to agreeing personal terms.

An attacker is the priority for Ten Hag during the remaining weeks of the transfer window. The Dutchman has already looked to his old club this summer by agreeing a deal for versatile defender Lisandro Martinez, while left-back Tyrell Malacia was the first player through the door during his tenure, arriving from Feyenoord.

United have also secured the services of Christian Eriksen on a free transfer after the Danish playmaker excelled during a short stint with Brentford last season. Noticeably, Ten Hag is yet to strengthen his frontline despite Edinson Cavani's departure at the expiry of his contract at the end of June.

The need for a new face in attack may become even more pressing in the weeks to come as Cristiano Ronaldo is still pushing to leave Old Trafford, even though his options are only growing more limited by the day. According to The Times, Antony remains his No.1 pick.

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Ten Hag has made no secret of his desire to sign a forward and informed Red Devils chiefs it is "vital" they do so if they are going to achieve "success". "That is a reason, but it's also the number of games," the United manager responded when asked if he is concerned about a lack of options up front.

"You need more options in offence. I think it's vital [United sign more players] if you want to get success, because the season is really long. But we also have still time to fill that in." Antony arrived at Ajax from Sao Paulo in the summer of 2020 and has gone on to score 22 goals in 78 games for the Eredivisie champions. A natural right-winger, he is a gifted creator and racked up 10 assists across all competitions last season.