Man Utd hopeful of progress on Frenkie de Jong deal & retain Antony interest

Manchester United are prioritising improving their midfield before moving ahead with any deal for Ajax forward Antony, though the club retain interest in the Brazilian.

90min initially reported on United's interest in Antony in February and March, with their interest in the player dating back prior to the appointment of new manager Erik ten Hag - who was also taken from the Dutch champions.

Ten Hag took over as United's new manager last month and has been a big influence on Antony's career to date, playing a key role in developing his game while the pair worked together in Amsterdam. He scored 12 goals and produced 10 assists in his 33 appearances for the club last season.

United's interest in Antony has never diminished, with Ten Hag's appointment only further confirming their focus on the player. Ten Hag is interested in bringing the 22-year-old to the club ahead of next season, with United in regular contact with the player's representatives.

However, United's squad adjustments will be executed in stages - with central midfield being of highest priority to Ten Hag's plans of squad reconstruction. The club have lost Nemanja Matic to Roma, Paul Pogba likely to Juventus, plus Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard from their midfield area - all on free transfers.

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The club hope to make significant progress this week on a deal for Netherlands international Frenkie de Jong, and as it stands are confident they will eventually be able to pull off a deal for the Barcelona midfielder.

While movement in recent days has been slow in part due to De Jong's representation of the Dutch national team in the Nations League, Man Utd hope to press forward on bringing the player to Old Trafford after the last round of internationals. De Jong is set to feature for the Netherlands against Wales on Tuesday night.

Ten Hag sees De Jong as vital to his plans to implement his style of play on the team, with United now turning attention to agreeing a fee with Barcelona for the player. Barcelona are in need of raising money to aid their financial position, to register new players and press ahead with their remaining plans for the summer window.

De Jong is considered one of the very few assets the club are willing to part ways with who they can command a significant sum for in return. De Jong is open to working with Ten Hag again following their days together at Ajax.

United have also shown interest in Christian Eriksen, with the Dane set to leave Brentford on a free transfer at the end of the month, but they face strong competition from Tottenham and other clubs. Eriksen is considering the variety of options he has on the table at present before making a decision on his next move.