Man Utd 'will only sign' £70m star if Ronaldo leaves Old Trafford

Manchester United will only sign Antony if Cristiano Ronaldo leaves the club this summer, believes talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook.

The Ajax winger has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford, but Crook cannot see that transfer happening unless Ronaldo departs.

New United manager Erik ten Hag wants to sign his former Ajax player, according to the Daily Mirror.

However, the same outlet states that the Dutch giants want £70m for Antony, which is proving to be a problem for the Red Devils.

It means Antony may be forced to remain at Ajax this summer, while Ronaldo could find himself in a similar situation at United.

At the start of the month, The Times claimed that the 37-year-old had asked to leave United after they failed to qualify for the Champions League, but there does not look to be too many options out there for him at the minute.

Chelsea, one outfit who could potentially afford him, have ended their brief interest, according to The Telegraph.

Crook doubts Antony will join United if Ronaldo remains at the club, which is starting to look likely.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the talkSPORT reporter said: “I think that will probably only happen if Ronaldo goes, and I’m not sure he’s a like-for-like replacement for Ronaldo anyway. But obviously he’s someone they’re looking at.”

If United cannot sign Antony in this transfer window, there is always next year. It is hard to imagine any club paying £70m for the Brazilian right now, so the Red Devils may get another opportunity in the future.

There is talk about Premier League rivals Chelsea also being interested, but they have just spent £50m on Raheem Sterling and need to rebuild their defence after losing both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.

Considering that, it