Last week, while indicating that he would not be averse to joining Premier League giants Manchester United at some point down the line, the highly-rated striker suggested that it would may take an offer of around ’80 million euros’ to free him from his club.
And it seems that his current employers tend to agree.
Ajax might not hold out for as much as £70 million, but it would certainly take a very considerable fee for the Dutch giants to even consider cashing in on a man who, two years after turning down Erik ten Hag‘s advances, remains on Manchester United wishlist.
Brian Brobbey, The Mirror report, is still a United target. Of course, presuming that this is a pursuit driven by his former Ajax boss, Brobbey might not be in contention for long, with Ten Hag’s future even more in doubt now than it was at the start of the weekend.
But even if Ten Hag is given the green light to stay on by Ineos, Ajax will not be rushing to encourage offers from Man United or any of Brobbey’s other admirers.
Manchester United unlikely to land Brian Brobbey
“I have news about Brobbey,” explains Mike Verweij, the experienced Dutch reporter speaking on De Telegraaf’s Kick Off podcast. “He has been told that a departure is non-negotiable, and he will remain with Ajax after this season.”
Verweij then goes back on himself a little. Ajax, he adds, will consider offers for each and ‘every player’, so long as they are large enough. But, if Man United do come calling, the Red Devils can expect to be quoted a fee in the same region as the one they paid to bring Antony to Old Trafford during the summer of 2022.
“Every player is for sale. If (Brobbey) plays a great European Championship, you have to see what happens then,” Verweij adds. “But Ajax has at least indicated to him that they do not want to get rid of him. In principle, they don’t even want to talk to clubs about Brobbey.
“If 60, 70 or 80 million euros are offered, things can suddenly be very different again. You don’t know what will happen if he happens to score one or two during the European Championship, or becomes (Netherlands boss Ronald) Koeman’s first-choice striker.”
Brian Brobbey will be very expensive
Brobbey has only one start for the Dutch national team, but is almost certain to at least be part of the squad for Euro 2024 after plundering 21 goals and setting up 10 more for a pretty dreadful Ajax side this season.
“Real Madrid is a great club,” Brobbey told Men’s Health a few days ago asked about what the future could hold for him beyond the Johan Cruyff Arena. “But so are Arsenal and Manchester United.”
United, regardless of who their manager may be in the coming months, are expected to prioritise a new centre-forward.
It remains to be seen, however, if Ineos opt for a young, Rasmus Hojlund-like up-and-comer, an expensive big name such as an Ivan Toney, or an experienced, affordable option a la Serhou Guirassy.