Glazers overruled as Ratcliffe brutally bins off biggest-ever Man Utd transfer mistake on one condition

Manchester United have cleared Brazilian flop Antony to leave Old Trafford it has been revealed – and the conditions around a would-be transfer for the winger have also come to light and with Sir Jim Ratcliffe putting his foot down over a deal.

Ratcliffe has made a number of changes since finalising his 27.7 per cent investment into the club in February, with his £1.3bn purchase simultaneously granting him sporting control at Old Trafford over the Glazers family, who do remain majority shareholders. As a result, the British billionaire has spent his first few months in charge making a number of key appointments designed to help Manchester United reclaim their place among the English and European elite.

With John Murtough and Richard Arnold leaving positions of power at Old Trafford, Ratcliffe has brought in the likes of Omar Berrada, as a new chief executive, Jean-Claude Blanc, as a director and a two-pronged transfer committee of technical director, Jason Wilcox, and sporting director, Dan Ashworth.

With Ashworth now overseeing transfers, deals have quickly been agreed to bring in both Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro, with United paying a combined £88.5m for the pair from Bologna and Lille, respectively.

The arrival of Yoro has certainly caused a stir with Real Madrid especially salty at being beaten to his signature and with two reasons emerging why the Spanish giants were beaten to his signature.

And United are not done yet. The club still hopes to add another central defender to their ranks, while a new left-back, a right-sided attacker and a new midfielder will also likely be sought.

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Man Utd transfers: Ratcliffe ready to let Antony leave 

As a result, excitement is building at just how good a side manager Erik ten Hag could have at his disposal next season.

However, the club are also expected to green light several big-name departures to help fund their investments and knowing they do also have to keep a close eye on their finances in light of the Premier League’s strict Profit and Sustainability Rules.

High-earning stars Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane have already been shown the door, though there is a feeling the clearout is far from complete with several other stars also up for grabs this summer.

To that end, TEAMtalk understands that the offers will be considered for Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro to name but four. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is also nearing a move away, though Ten Hag is keen to keep Scott McTominay, who has also been the subject of firm transfer interest this summer.

It has now come to light, though, that United have also cleared the way for Brazilian winger Antony to move on.

He arrived in a whopping £86m deal from Ajax in summer 2022 and is regarded by many as one of the club’s worst-ever signing and biggest-ever waste of money.

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In his two seasons for United, Antony has only managed a meagre 12 goals and seven assists from 82 appearances.

And according to ESPN, Ratcliffe has now decided to let the 16-times capped Brazil international move on.

The report claims: ‘Misfiring forward Antony will be allowed to leave on loan if a club is prepared to cover his £70,000-a-week salary. It has the feel of a clear-out, but it is something United have largely resisted in recent years due to the policy of the Glazers.’

Indeed, the Glazers have previously been opposed to letting certain players leave, considering the merits of keeping them better for the balance sheet owing to the costs needed to sign a replacement.

Ratcliffe overrules Glazers over Antony exit

Ratcliffe, on the other hand, feels that if players are not contributing, then exits should be sanctioned no matter what. As a result, he has very quickly gone after, and targeted for exits, those high-earning stars who have now earned their keep so far.

However, while Antony’s stock has bady fallen, United know they would struggle to get a significant fee for his services, leaving Ratcliffe instead open to a loan deal if an interested club can come to an arrangement over his wages.

To that end, Ratcliffe would rather than save on the balance sheets in the here and now than worry about costs of replacing such stars, feeling that if they need to be moved on, then the club will look to move them on, regardless.

A source told ESPN: “Joel and Avram [Glazer] would be happy to get rid of Wan-Bissaka or Lindelof. But they would look at the numbers and ask ‘How much could we get for them and how much would it cost to replace them?’

“When they were told that it would cost half as much to keep the players until the end of their contract rather than get rid and sign a replacement, the answer would always been to keep them for another year.

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“They would rather pay £10m in wages and lose the player on a free than spend an extra £20m to sign a better player to replace them.”

Antony has previously been branded a “show-pony” by pundit Chris Sutton, who feels his arrival from Ajax is one of the worst single pieces of business ever done in the Premier League.

“[Antony] actually made me look value for money!” Sutton declared.

“For the outlay on him, in terms of goals and assists they just simply haven’t been there. He is a show pony. That’s what he is and I think he’s let Erik ten Hag down.”