Manchester United icon Edwin van der Sar is the ‘big negotiator’ working on Antony’s possible move to Old Trafford.
That’s according to De Volkskrant via Soccer Nieuws, who say it is not Gerry Hamstra or Klaas-Jan Huntelaar but Van der Sar who is taking charge of the negotiations.
They report that the Brazilian ‘will be angry’ if he has to stay at the Dutch club this summer, having made it clear he wants to move to Manchester United.
While it is expected that the club and the player ‘will embrace each other’ should it not happen, and Ajax fans will stop booing him eventually if he stays, it will be a ‘marriage of convenience’ rather than a love affair.
The player is ‘willing to seek conflict’ if he needs to and so the club are working with United to get a deal over the line that suits all parties.
That is where Van der Sar comes into it, as despite being a director at the club, it is he who is leading negotiations and is seen as a ‘major negotiator’ in the talks.
That would usually be left up to Huntelaar and Hamstra, the latter of whom took up the duties once held by Marc Overmars before his dismissal earlier this year.
However, Van der Sar is ‘more experienced’ than both and has a relationship with Manchester United after making 266 appearances for them in all competitions over a six-year spell after arriving from Fulham in 2005.
That, presumably, gives him something of an advantage and it seems Ajax are happy to let him handle negotiations as his old club push to sign Antony for Erik ten Hag.
