Manchester United will cut their losses on £86million flop Antony following Erik ten Hag’s sacking.
talkSPORT understands Antony has already been told he can leave Old Trafford when the transfer window reopens in January after failing to justify becoming the second-most expensive player in United’s history.
The Brazilian forward has managed just five Premier League goals following his move from Ten Hag’s old club Ajax in the summer of 2022.
Ajax are among the clubs who have shown interest in re-signing Antony, along with Brazilian side Flamengo, but Man United know they are going to have to take a huge hit in what they splashed out to get him off the wage bill.
This notebook can also reveal Ten Hag’s loyalty to the under-performing 24-year-old over their players was a bone of contention inside the United dressing room.
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Winger Amad Diallo struggled to hide his emotions after Antony was brought off the bench ahead of him during last week’s 1-1 Europa League draw at Fenerbahce, which did not go unnoticed by the United hierarchy as they made their decision to sack Ten Hag.
Amorim in, club legend out?
It is ironic that West Ham put the final nail in Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United coffin and pushed them into a move for Ruben Amorim.
Amorim was close to joining West Ham in the summer and talkSPORT can reveal the Sporting boss had even agreed personal terms, before Hammers owner David Sullivan got cold feet over paying his £8.3m release clause.
The 39-year-old Amorim famously hired his own private jet to bring him to London for face-to-face talks before making a public apology to Sporting when negotiations broke down and Sullivan pushed ahead with a move for free agent Julen Lopetegui.
One of the other sticking points was the volume of staff Amorim wanted to bring with him from Lisbon, which could raise some doubts over the future of United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has been placed in interim-charge following Ten Hag’s departure.
Van Nistelrooy was only appointed as Ten Hag’s assistant in the summer and is hugely popular among United fans.
Jettisoning him now would be another big PR own goal by minority owners INEOS, having already called time on Sir Alex Ferguson’s lucrative ambassadorial role.
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Liverpool’s £50m Salah replacement?
Brentford have slapped a £50m asking price on in-form striker Bryan Mbeumo.
Mbeumo has been a revelation this season in the wake of the departure of Ivan Toney to Saudi Arabia, and is second only to Erling Haaland in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot with eight goals already to his name.
That scoring spree is attracting the attention from the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle and prompted Bees manager Thomas Frank to tout him for a move to a bigger club.
The Frenchman even been touted as a perfect replacement for Mohamed Salah at Anfield, with the Liverpool icon’s future still up in the air.
But Mbeumo has a year’s option in his contract, which Brentford plan to activate to tie him down until the summer of 2027, and therefore send his transfer value soaring.
Big boys chase Brighton’s next gem
Brighton have made a habit of signing players for relatively modest fees and selling them on for mega money, and midfielder Carlos Baleba is the latest Seagulls star who could turn owner Tony Bloom a huge profit.
Baleba took a little while to get going after his £23m move from French club Lille in the summer of 2023, but has earned rave reviews with his stellar performances this season.
The all-action Cameroon international is a long-standing target for Arsenal and Liverpool while Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglu is also understood to be a big admirer.
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Brighton are not under any financial pressure to sell after turning record profits for a Premier League club last year.
However, former professional poker player Bloom’s business model is built around knowing when to cash in his chips, so this is certainly one to keep an eye on.
