Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City all wanted new Manchester United player Antony in the past, reports Marcus Alves of The Telegraph.
United’s new superstar winger, who recently moved for a jaw-dropping £85 million from Ajax, had opportunities to join Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in the past but rejected them.
Antony Rejected Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City in the Past
#mufc confirm signing of Antony. Five-year contract plus option of an additional year. United have now invested £1.415bn in signings since 2013. pic.twitter.com/aHMY5LMaiG
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) September 1, 2022
Why He Picked United Over Last Season’s Top Three
Manchester City came knocking for the Brazilian in 2019 with an offer of £17 million that included a season on loan at Sporting CP, but Antony was not ready to move halfway across the world and chose to extend his contract with then club Sao Paulo.
Read more: Manchester United ‘Reach Agreement’ to Sign Classy Player Fans Are Already Excited About
Chelsea were next to make a firm approach, with their former director Marina Granovskaia making a personal promise to the player to take him to Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool also extensively scouted the winger and held conversations with his staff. In 2019, the Brazilian had scored in three finals for Sao Paulo and ended up moving to Ajax for £16 million the following summer.
Why the Brazilian Won’t Be Phased by the Pricetag
Manchester United’s new star grew up in a place nicknamed ‘Inferninho’ or ‘Little Hell’ in the Brazilian favelas in Osasco, an industrial suburb in Sao Paulo that also homed fellow Premier League stars Ederson and Bruno Guimaraes. Crime was on his doorstep. Tattooed on his arm is: “He who comes from there knows what I went through.”
Regardless, he was described as a humble boy and very clever by his earliest mentors at Sao Paulo. When he graduated to the senior team, he bought his family a house in a safer neighbourhood, at only 18. He also became a father at 19 to his son, Lorenzo. He has grown up a lot faster than his age would suggest, and fear will not be an issue for the Brazilian.
