Manchester United have confirmed they have reached agreement to sign Brazil winger Antony from Ajax.
The deal is for an initial fee of 95m euros (£81.3m) — which will be the fourth most expensive signing in Premier League history.
It is subject to a medical, personal terms being finalised and international clearance.
Antony, 22, scored 24 goals and provided 22 assists in 82 appearances for Ajax. He joined the Dutch champions from Sao Paulo in 2020 and played for them under Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag’s management.
The deal includes a potential 5m euros (£4.27m) of add-ons — making him United’s second most expensive signing, ahead of the £80m paid for defender Harry Maguire. The £89m paid for Paul Pogba remains the club’s record.
Antony, who contributed to seven goals in his 11 Champions League appearances for Ajax, made his international debut for Brazil in October 2021 and has two goals in nine appearances.
United travel to Leicester City in their next Premier League fixture on Thursday, but Antony would need to receive a work permit before making an appearance. With the transfer deadline looming, speculation remains as to whether Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at the club following concerns about how the 37-year-old’s mood is affecting morale in the camp.
In terms of record Premier League signings, only Pogba’s return to United in 2016, Chelsea’s £97.5m re-signing of Romelu Lukaku last summer and Manchester City’s British record £100m deal for Jack Grealish, also in 2021, have cost more.
The attacker becomes United’s fifth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of his former Ajax team-mate, defender Lisandro Martinez, midfielder Casemiro from Real Madrid, full-back Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord and playmaker Christian Eriksen on a free transfer.
United have spent more than £210m in this transfer window to back new boss Ten Hag, while several players such as Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, Nemanja Matic, Edinson Cavani and Andreas Pereira have left.
Record-breaking total spending by all Premier League clubs in this summer transfer window, which closes at 23:00 BST on Thursday, is now at more than £1.6bn — exceeding the previous record of £1.4bn in 2017.
United’s summer spending puts the Glazer family’s total outlay on transfer fees alone at 1.9bn euros (£1.62bn at current exchange rates) under the 17-year ownership — according to figures from Transfermarkt. In that same period, only Manchester City (2.37bn euros) and Chelsea (2.19bn euros) have a bigger outlay on transfers.
United fans have organised multiple protests against the Americans’ ownership in recent years - including before last week’s 2-1 win over Liverpool.
