Tuesday Evening deal: Manchester United have finally came to conclusion to swap Antony with £80m Dutch midfielder, decision taken during last board meeting as Ten Hag set to welcome another Dutchman in His squad
Manchester United are still seeking to strengthen their midfield in this summer’s transfer window, and once again, Frenkie de Jong has become a focal point of interest.
Erik ten Hag, who previously coached De Jong at Ajax, has long desired to bring the Dutch international to Manchester United. De Jong, currently valued at £86 million, chose to remain at Barcelona despite Manchester United reaching an agreement two years ago to sign him for 80 million euros.
According to the Spanish outlet Nacional, Ten Hag has now proposed a swap deal involving Antony in an effort to secure De Jong’s services for Manchester United. Antony, who enjoyed success under Ten Hag at Ajax, has struggled to make an impact in the Premier League. After being signed from the Eredivisie club for £86 million, Antony managed just one goal in 29 league appearances last season.
Given Antony’s underwhelming performance, it’s surprising that Ten Hag would offer him in exchange for De Jong, a key player for Barcelona. Predictably, the Catalan club is not interested in Antony. While Barcelona is in the market for a winger, Antony does not meet their criteria. They already have Lamine Yamal and Raphinha covering the right wing, both of whom are considered superior to the Manchester United player.
To realistically pursue De Jong, Manchester United will need to devise a more appealing strategy.Pursuing Frenkie de Jong has been a persistent objective for Erik ten Hag since he took over at Manchester United. While a swap deal involving Antony has been suggested, Barcelona’s lack of interest in the Brazilian winger makes this approach unlikely to succeed.
De Jong remains a crucial part of Barcelona’s midfield, and any potential transfer would require a highly attractive offer. Manchester United may need to consider alternatives, such as including a different player in the deal or increasing the cash component to make their proposal more enticing. Additionally, they could focus on other midfield targets to strengthen their squad if securing De Jong proves too challenging.
