Manchester United will cut their losses from £86m Antony flop following the sacking of Erik ten Hag.
The Pitch Prospect 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.
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The Brazilian striker has only scored five goals in the Premier League following his move from Ten Hag’s old club Ajax in the summer of 2022.
Ajax, along with Brazilian side Flamengo, are among the clubs who have shown interest in re-signing Antony, but Man United know they will have to make a huge backtrack to get him off the payroll.
This notebook may also show that Ten Hag’s loyalty to the underperforming 24-year-old to his players was a bone of contention in the United dressing room.
Read more about Man Utd’s next head coach
Winger Amad Diallo struggled to hide his emotions after Antony was substituted ahead of him in last week’s 1-1 Europa League draw at Fenerbahce, which did not go unnoticed by the United management when they made their decision to sign Ten Hag dismissed.
Amorim in, club legend out?
It’s ironic that West Ham put the final nail in Erik ten Hag’s coffin at Manchester United and pushed them into a move for Ruben Amorim.
Amorim was close to joining West Ham in the summer and The Pitch Prospect can reveal the Sporting boss had even agreed personal terms before Hammers owner David Sullivan got cold feet about his £8.3million release clause Paid pounds.
Amorim, 39, famously hired his own private jet to take him to London for face-to-face talks before publicly apologizing to Sporting when negotiations failed and Sullivan pushed through a move for free agent Julen Lopetegui.
Another sticking point was the amount of staff Amorim wanted to bring with him from Lisbon, which could raise some doubts about the future of United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was appointed as interim coach following the departure of Ten Hag.
Van Nistelrooy was only appointed as Ten Hag’s assistant in the summer and is very popular with United fans.
Getting rid of him now would be another major PR own goal by minority owners INEOS after Sir Alex Ferguson’s lucrative ambassadorial role has already been taken up.
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Liverpool’s £50m Salah replacement?
Brentford have imposed a £50m transfer fee on in-form striker Bryan Mbeumo.
Mbeumo has been a revelation this season following Ivan Toney’s departure to Saudi Arabia and is second only to Erling Haaland in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot, having already scored eight goals.
This scoring exploit caught the attention of the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle and led Bees manager Thomas Frank to tout him for a move to a bigger club.
The Frenchman has even been touted as the perfect replacement for Mohamed Salah at Anfield, with the Liverpool icon’s future still uncertain.
But Mbeumo has a one-year option in his contract, which Brentford want to activate to tie him down until the summer of 2027 and thereby increase his transfer value.
Big boys are chasing 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 hand owner Tony Bloom a huge windfall.
It took Baleba a while to get going following his £23million move from French club Lille in the summer of 2023, but he has earned rave reviews with his outstanding performances this season.
The hard-hitting Cameroon international is a long-term target of Arsenal and Liverpool, while Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglu is also considered a big admirer.
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Brighton are under no financial pressure to sell after making record profits for a Premier League club last year.
However, former pro poker player Bloom’s business model is based on knowing when to cash in his chips, so this is definitely something to keep an eye on.