Manchester United will reportedly prioritise signing Antony this month but have prepared a three-man shortlist just in case the move collapses.
The Ajax winger, 22, is thought to be Erik ten Hag's primary transfer target after bringing him from Sao Paulo to Amsterdam in the summer of 2020. Since then, Antony has scored 18 goals and provided 14 assists in 57 Eredivisie appearances, winning two titles.
The Brazil international wants to join United and has handed in a transfer request at Ajax, who rejected a £72.3million bid last week. It's believed the Dutch champions will consider offers of €100m (£84m), a significant amount of money for the Red Devils to invest.
As such, there's a good chance United will not be able to afford Ajax's asking price for Antony and will look elsewhere. According to ESPN, they will step up their interest in Cody Gakpo, Christian Pulisic and Marcus Thuram if the Antony deal does not go through.
Gakpo, 23, is currently on the books at Dutch side PSV Eindhoven and enjoyed a stellar 2021/22 campaign, scoring 21 goals in all competitions. He's a seven-cap Netherlands international, who has already found the net twice in the Eredivisie this season.
Thuram, 25, plays for German giants Borussia Monchengladbach and has four senior caps for France. Injuries restricted him to just three goals in 23 outings last term but he has shown his quality in the past, finding the net 14 times during the 2019/20 campaign.
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Pulisic, 23, has been a member of Chelsea's first team since the summer of 2019 but is yet to make a real impact at Stamford Bridge. The USA international has struggled with form and fitness since his move from Borussia Dortmund, scoring 25 goals.
Ajax are reluctant to let Antony go after selling several first-team stars this summer. Ryan Gravenberch, Sebastien Haller, Nicolas Tagliafico, Perr Schuurs and Lisandro Martinez have all completed big-money transfers away from Amsterdam in recent weeks.
The latter has joined Ten Hag at Old Trafford, starting all three of United's Premier League fixtures this season. Losing Martinez was a blow for Ajax after he was named their Player or the Season and it's questionable whether they can afford to lose Antony, too.
"What he [Antony] wants... there is nothing I can do about that," said Ajax boss Alfred Schreuder. "He has a contract with Ajax. We already sold many players, our players have ambition. I am confident that he will be playing for Ajax in one week from now."
Another potential target for United is Marco Asensio. As reported by The Telegraph, they've been offered the chance to sign the Real Madrid winger, 26, for €30m (£25.3m). Ten Hag recently signed his former Real team-mate Casemiro to bolster his midfield.
It's believed United are not seriously considering a move for Asesnio, who is in the final year of his contract. The three-time Champions League winner scored 12 goals for Real last season and has won 28 senior caps for Spain, scoring once at international level.
United have lacked creativity this season, scoring just three goals from their opening three Premier League games. Goals were also a problem for the Red Devils last term, scoring 57 in the Premier League - boasting only the eighth best record.
Ten Hag's current attacking options are Anthony Martial, Marcus Rahsford, Amad Diallo, Jadon Sancho, Anthony Elanga, Shola Shoretire, Tahith Chong, Alejandro Garnacho and Cristiano Ronaldo - with the latter hoping to leave Old Trafford this month.
