HERE WE GO! Man United agree transfer fee to secure first January transfer deal as star agrees Five-years transfer move
Manchester United are holding talks with multiple clubs regarding an exit for Antony, though a move to the most interested team will require a major sacrifice on United’s end, per reports.
Antony has done little to justify the colossal £82m (rising to £86m) it cost to bring the winger to Man Utd from Ajax. After two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford, Antony’s record stands at just 12 goals and five assists in 94 appearances.
Antony had fallen out of favour under Erik ten Hag prior to his removal. The change in manager to Ruben Amorim has not helped, with Antony now lacking a natural position in Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation.
TEAMtalk recently revealed Sir Jim Ratcliffe is hellbent on slashing Man Utd’s colossal wage bill. The United co-owner is particularly keen to offload players who aren’t justifying their massive salaries, like Casemiro, Marcus Rashford and Antony.
Antony pockets £200,000-a-week at Man Utd and to help fund a total squad rebuild, a slew of high profile exits are expected over the coming windows.
Antony is expected to be among the leavers and per Sky Sports, Man Utd are in talks with several clubs regarding a loan exit.
A loan would do little to boost Man Utd’s spending power in the here and now. However, it would put Antony in the shop window and a successful stint will elevate United’s chances of securing a permanent solution, just as it did for Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood when they were loaned out.
Real Betis – who recently sold winger Assane Diao to Como to free up room and funds for Antony – were the only club namechecked by Sky Sports.
But according to a separate report from talkSPORT, a move to Manuel Pellegrini’s side can only occur on one condition.
They stated Real Betis are asking Man Utd to subsidise ‘more than half’ of Antony’s £200,000-a-week salary.
As you might expect, and given there’s still over a fortnight left in the window, it’s then claimed Man Utd are hopeful more clubs come to the fore and present more favourable terms. Greek giant Olympiacos are another club known to have made an approach.
As such, and while Man Utd do have the chance to offload Antony right now, an exit appears more likely to be finalised in the latter stages of the window.
At that time, the expectation is a compromise on what terms are deemed acceptable will have been made – whether that be from a buying club or Man Utd themselves.
Rejuvenated star WON’T leave Man Utd
One star who won’t be among those to leave Man Utd in 2025 is centre-back, Harry Maguire.
The 31-year-old looked destined to depart prior to Amorim’s arrival, with Maguire’s contract at the time due to expire at the end of the season.
However, Maguire has made a huge impression on Ruben Amorim, according to The Daily Mail. The end result saw Man Utd trigger the one-year option in Maguire’s deal on January 3, extending his stay at Old Trafford until the summer of 2026.
A secondary effect of activating that option is Man Utd have altered their plans regarding a centre-back signing.
Rather than move for a ‘readymade’ option – such as Everton’s £70m-rated Jarrad Branthwaite – Man Utd will now seek to sign a younger defender with scope to develop.
With Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans off contract at season’s end, Amorim is content to enter next season with Maguire, Leny Yoro, Matthijs De Ligt and Lisandro Martinez as his primary options at centre-back.
A younger option is expected to be added to the mix to provide depth, while Luke Shaw and Noussair Mazraoui will serve as cover for the wide centre-back positions in the back three.
In other news, Calciomercato claim Alejandro Garnacho has ‘agreed’ personal terms with Napoli.
Antonio Conte’s side have identified Garnacho as an ideal option to replace Khvicha Kvaratskhelia who is joining PSG.
Man Utd aren’t actively looking to sell, though they will sanction a sale for the right price. United’s valuation is Garnacho is understood to be somewhere in the £60m-£70m range.
