Ajax hold Man Utd to ransom by demanding £115MILLION for Martinez and Antony

AJAX will demand more than £115million for Manchester United targets Lisandro Martinez and Antony this summer.

Arsenal are also keen on Argentina centre-back Martinez and are willing to pay around £35m.

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But the Dutch giants value him in the £45m bracket and are under no pressure to sell.

And they are set to play hardball over wideman Antony, who they believe is worth around £70m.

The Brazilian, 22, has become a key target for new Red Devils boss Erik Ten Hag after United lost out on Darwin Nunez to rivals Liverpool.

But the figures being demanded by Ten Hag’s former club are likely to prove a major obstacle.

Ajax believe they are financially strong enough to reject any approaches which do not meet their asking price.

They also know United are desperate for reinforcements, with the squad back in for pre-season training yesterday.

The Red Devils hope another Dutch player — Frenkie de Jong — will become their first high-profile signing this summer.

A new proposal — worth around £55m but with add-ons to take it close to Barcelona’s £69m asking price — is now being discussed.

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Meanwhile, several of United’s first-team stars met with Ten Hag as they returned to Carrington yesterday morning.

Former England boss Steve McClaren — who has returned as Old Trafford No 2 — was through the gates early on.

And David de Gea, Luke Shaw, Donny van de Beek and Anthony Martial were among the first batch of players to check in.

The next couple of days will be medical tests but Ten Hag plans to chat to all players individually this week.

International stars, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire, have another week off.

Ten Hag will have all his squad back by the time they fly off for a  tour of Thailand and Australia on July 8.

United’s coffers may be boosted, with Fulham willing to pay £8.5m for Brazilian Andreas Pereira, 26.