Manchester United have had rejected a £75million bid for Ajax forward Antony.
United were confident their improved offer would be accepted, but Ajax are holding out for £84m for the Brazilian attacker.
Erik ten Hag wants to be reunited with his former player, after signing Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez, but the Dutch club are holding out for their valuation of the 22-year-old.
Antony is training separately from the Ajax squad after demanding to be allowed to leave, while his representatives are remaining in the U.K. until Thursday’s transfer deadline day, in a bid to get the deal over the line.
United have already signed Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro this summer, with Ten Hag keen to further bolster his squad with the arrival of Antony, which could see Cristiano Ronaldo be allowed to leave.
Ronaldo still wants to leave United, but his departure is dependant on them signing a replacement before deadline day, with Antony the versatile forward Ten Hag wants.
In many ways, United's mega-money offers for Antony are somewhat ironic considering one of Ronaldo's main frustrations that he raised with the Red Devils hierarchy was their lack of ambition in the transfer window.
This window has seen some astronomical figures touted, but £84m for Antony would certainly raise eyebrows considering the 22 year-old's relative inexperience.
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United are no stranger to long-running transfer sagas in recent seasons. Their pursuit of Jadon Sancho spanned across multiple windows before eventually ending in success as they landed the England international's signature for a similar fee to their most recent offer to Ajax.
This summer has seen a similar effort to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong - another talent that Ten Hag knows very well from his time in the Dutch capital.
However, hopes are fading when it comes to persuading the Netherlands international to swap the Camp Nou for Old Trafford this season. De Jong is rumoured to harbour fears over the way United is run and their lack of Champions League football also works against them.
Personal terms are not thought to be an issue when it comes to the Antony saga, given the Brazilian is desperate to make the switch but United know better than most that when all is said and done - money talks.
