Bayer Leverkusen is named as a "club to watch" with regards to the future of Manchester United flop Antony, as the Bundesliga club searches for a replacement for Florian Wirtz.
Wirtz is set to leave Leverkusen after deciding that he wants to join Arne Slot's Liverpool, and his departure will leave big boots to fill in Erik ten Hag's squad. Naturally, Ten Hag is being linked with a move for Antony — a player he was roundly mocked for taking to United — with the Daily Mail mentioning Leverkusen as a club who could afford to sign him permanently.
Antony joined United in 2022 but the Brazilian's acquisition quickly became a stick to beat Ten Hag with, as it soon became apparent that he was not worth the colossal fee that the Red Devils signed him for.
Ruben Amorim allowed Antony to leave on loan during the January transfer window, and he demonstrated his quality during a fruitful spell at Real Betis, scoring some key goals as the La Liga club made it through to the Conference League final.
Despite enjoying a career revival in Spain, he is not expected to return there on a permanent basis as Betis cannot afford to meet United's asking price for the Brazilian.
Leverkusen will have plenty of money to spend this summer, with Liverpool alone expected to add at least $200 million to the German club's kitty.
Liverpool has already signed Jeremie Frimpong for $39 million, while the Reds could also end up paying as much as $171 million for Wirtz.
Florian Wirtz during a team Germany training session.
Liverpool is continuing to work on a deal for Wirtz (Image: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
The Reds are continuing to work on a deal to sign the Germany international, after it emerged last month that he had opted to join the Anfield club ahead of Bayern Munich.
Liverpool will have to smash its transfer record to get a deal over the line, with Virgil van Dijk the club's current record signing after his $101 million move from Southampton in January 2018.
Darwin Nunez's transfer fee would have surpassed the Van Dijk fee had all of the add-on clauses in his deal been met, but they have not, and he is expected to leave the club this summer, amid interest from Atletico Madrid as well as clubs in the Saudi Pro League.
The mooted $171 million fee would not only make him Liverpool's record signing — it would also make him one of the most expensive signings in soccer history: only Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have moved clubs for bigger transfer fees in the past.