The new Manchester United manager is busy reshaping his first-team squad ahead of the start of pre-season, hoping to bolster his ranks and sign two of his former players.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is growing increasingly confident of bringing back former players Frenkie de Jong and Antony to Old Trafford.
Barcelona midfielder De Jong has already spoken with United manager about a possible transfer, with the manager outlining the role the player would play under him at Old Trafford. United need to bolster their options in central midfield ahead of several key departures this season. De Jong has been identified as the club's leading candidate for the position, and the Dutchman is at the top of the Red Devils' summer transfer target list.
Antony is another top target for Ten Hag, who wants to reunite with the 22-year-old, who was Ajax's star last season. United are in pole position to land the Brazilian given his strong relationship with the Red Devils boss at the Amsterdam Arena.
United have received a new boost in their pursuit of Antony, with his agents traveling to Europe to negotiate his future. According to a Goal Brasil report, £51 million (€60 million) could be enough to bring the Brazilian forward to Old Trafford.
According to the report, the player's representatives flew into Europe 'to expedite' a move to United, which could even be 'completed' by the trip. It goes on to say that Antony's future will be decided during these "decisive days" of negotiations.
It has been reported that United and Ajax have strong boardroom relations, which would help smooth over any deal. Ten Hag's departure from the Amsterdam club last month, which sealed his early arrival at United, was an example of an amicable agreement.
While the deal would be beneficial to Ajax, Antony's former club Sao Paulo would be entitled to 20% of any transfer fee as well as 2.7% of the player's development fee. This is in addition to the £12 million (€15 million) they received in the deal that sent them to Ajax in 2020.
Antony appeared in 33 games for the Dutch giants last season, scoring 12 goals and providing 10 assists before being sidelined for the remainder of the season due to injury. He also appeared in nine South American World Cup qualifiers for the Brazilian national team, scoring two goals.
The Brazilian is primarily a right-sided player, which would add balance to United's attack with Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford primarily deployed on the left. Anthony Elanga also recently claimed that he preferred to play on the left rather than on the right, where he had been utilised by former United interim boss Ralf Rangnick.
