Ajax manager Alfred Schreuder has refused to rule out a departure for Antony, accepting "you never know" when it comes to keeping a full-strength squad.
Antony has been linked with a United switch for much of the summer after impressing under Erik ten Hag in Amsterdam. The Brazilian forward scored 23 goals in two seasons under Ten Hag before the manager moved to Old Trafford.
Ten Hag's new club have already raided Ajax once this summer, agreeing a deal to sign Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez. And, while the Eredivisie champions are keen to keep hold of their star players, Schreuder was non-committal.
In an interview with Ziggo Sport after Ajax's most recent pre-season friendly, Schreuder was asked about the prospect of losing Antony. While the former Club Brugge boss remains hopeful of keeping the former Sao Paulo man, he did appear to leave the door open.
“No, I am not afraid of anything," he said (via WeTalkAjax). "We know we have very good players [here] and we assume we will keep the squad together. But, with football, you never know.”
Ajax rounded off their pre-season preparations with a 3-1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk. After the Ukrainian side took the lead, Schreuder's men responded through goals from Dusan Tadic, Steven Berghuis and Mohammed Kudus.
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Ajax have already had a busy summer, strengthening in attack among other areas. Steven Bergwijn has joined in a big-money switch from Tottenham Hotspur, while Brian Brobbey has returned after a spell with RB Leipzig and Portugal under-21 star Francisco Conceicao arriving from Porto.
Antony and his agent are believed to have held initial talks with Manchester United, though Ajax remain reluctant to sell another player to the English club. The Amsterdam club have already lost Ryan Gravenberch and Sebastien Haller this summer for big fees, with the pair joining Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund respectively.
United's move for Martinez has already set them back a significant amount, with an initial £46.8million fee potentially rising as high as £55.3m with add-ons. The Argentine is the third new arrival at Old Trafford this summer, with Tyrell Malacia and one-time Ajax star Christian Eriksen also moving to Old Trafford.
"First of all, the football," Eriksen said in his first club interview when asked about his conversations with Ten Hag which convinced him to join. I mean, I’m a guy who wants to play football and I think with the idea of the manager coming in and the ideas he had and also with my conversations with him, I mean I could see myself playing football in Manchester.
"And, at the same time, it’s a very, very big club – if not the biggest. If you pronounce it anywhere they know where it’s from, they know where the locals come from. It has a big history and it’s a nice feeling to be part of something that is that big in history."
