(Reuters) – Manchester United have reached an agreement to sign Brazil winger Antony from Ajax Amsterdam, the Premier League club said in a statement on Tuesday.
Antony, who played under United manager Erik ten Hag at Ajax, registered 12 goals and 10 assists in 33 games in all competitions as the Dutch club won a third straight Eredivisie title and made the last 16 in the Champions League last term.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed but British media reported that it would be worth an initial 80.75 million pounds ($94.63 million), with a further 4.25 million pounds in add-ons for the 22-year-old.
Antony joined Amsterdam from Sao Paulo in February 2020 and played more than 80 times for Ajax, scoring 25 goals in total. He has also been capped nine times by Brazil since his debut in 2021, scoring twice.
He will become United’s fifth close-season signing following the arrivals of Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro.
The announcement comes at a time when media speculation about the future of forward Cristiano Ronaldo intensifies, with the Portugal player reportedly seeking to leave Old Trafford after the team’s failure to qualify for the Champions League.
United are eighth in the Premier League standings with six points from four games so far. They travel to bottom side Leicester City on Thursday.
($1 = 0.8533 pounds)
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar; Editing by Ken Ferris)
