Manchester United's €90M Antony Transfer Bid Reportedly Rejected by Ajax

Manchester United's €90 million ($89.7M) bid for Ajax winger Antony has been rejected by the Eredivisie side, according to ESPN's Rob Dawson.

United's latest bid is an increase from the €80 million offer they made for Antony earlier this month. The Red Devils will now decide whether to increase their offer or shift focus to other targets, per Dawson.

Antony, who told Ajax he wanted to leave in February, appears to be increasingly unhappy with the Dutch side and expressed his frustrations in an interview with Fabrizio Romano on Friday, mentioning that he wants a move to further his career:

"Today, in a meeting with the club's board of directors, I expressed my old interest in leaving, only this time with a considerable offer on the table," Antony told Romano. "Others had already arrived. Ajax always refused and hinders my exit with the argument that it only has five days to replace [me].

"... I'm not asking [Ajax[ to release me, I'm asking Ajax to sell me with the highest bid ever for [an Eredivisie player]. I've been insisting on this theme since February so that the club could rebuild the team with peace of mind."

Matthijs de Ligt currently holds the record as the most expensive player to ever be sold by an Eredivisie club when Ajax sold him to Juventus for €75 million in 2019. He now plays for Bayern Munich of the Bundesliga.

Antony has played for Ajax since the 2020-21 campaign after beginning his career with São Paulo in Brazil. He is off to a hot start this season, tallying a goal and two assists in two games.

During the 2021-22 season, he notched 10 goals and nine assists in 30 games across all competitions. Two of those goals came in seven Champions League matches.

The next few days will be pivotal for Antony's career, and it seems like some sort of agreement between Ajax and Manchester United could be reached following his public comments criticizing the Dutch side for not moving him.

If Ajax does not sell him, he could be in for an ugly reception when he returns to Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam.

Manchester United, meanwhile, could shift its focus to PSV Eindhoven's Cody Gakpo, Chelsea's Christian Pulisic or Borussia Mönchengladbach's Marcus Thuram in the coming days, per Dawson.

The Red Devils are 1-0-2 this season and enter Saturday's match against Southampton coming off a 2-1 win over Liverpool. If the club wants any chance to win the Premier League, it will need to secure at least one talented player before the transfer window closes.