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Juventus held talks with Manchester United over a blockbuster “swap deal” for Antony with fellow Brazilian Douglas Luiz heading to Old Trafford in the other direction, Fabrizio Romano reveals.
The Italian transfer guru contends Juventus were “actively exploring” a move for Antony with former sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli identifying the 25-year-old winger as a “smart option” to bolster Igor Tudor’s forward line.
The Old Lady’s interest reached the stage of “concrete discussions” with United and the possibility of a Juventus player being used to broker a deal.
Long-term Interest in Luiz
The Red Devils hold a long-standing interest in Luiz, who previously thrived in the Premier League with Aston Villa but has failed to settle in Italy following his €50 million move to Juventus in 2024.
United want to sign a midfielder this summer with Ruben Amorim thought to be have specifically requested a new number eight – Luiz’s preferred role.
But United’s budget will be mainly directed towards attacking reinforcements with a £62.5 million deal already agreed for Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Matheus Cunha while negotiations are ongoing for Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo at a similar price point.
The club are also pushing for a new striker with interest in reuniting Amorim with Sporting CP frontman Viktor Gyokeres. Arsenal are believed to be leading the race for the Sweden international, however.
Alterative options include Bundesliga forwards Benjamin Sesko (RB Leipzig) and Hugo Ekitike (Eintracht Frankfurt), though both are projected to cost as much as €100 million.
Regardless of which striker United end up targeting, it will leave little in the bank to sanction a move for a new midfielder.
Juventus are reported to be willing to entertain offers of £30 million for Luiz as they prepare to cut their losses on the 27-year-old Brazilian. But this is what made the prospect of a straight swap, with Antony heading to Turin in return, such a financially attractive proposal.
Romano states Juventus were “prepared to discuss different formulas for this deal to happen, eventually also on a double loan with buy option clauses,” further sweetening the deal as this would allow any transfer fees to be delayed until next summer.
A Collapsed Deal
Romano reveals talks have stalled however, as the proposal was being driven by Giuntoli, who left his role as Juventus’ sporting director last week to be replaced by Damien Comolli.
“Why did it collapse? Because Juventus director Giuntoli left the club a few days ago in a reshape decided by the ownership with new director Damien Comolli now taking care of the operations.
“The discussion for Antony and Douglas Luiz, at the moment, is not even advancing anymore. Let’s see later in the window if this story can change, but Juventus really considered Antony – now it is up to the new directors.”
United remain keen to sell Antony this summer after a successful loan spell at Real Betis. But the Spanish side are unlikely to be able to afford a permanent deal for the Brazil international and have discussed the potential of another loan deal in negotiations with Old Trafford executives.
Featured image Simone Alveda via Getty Images
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