Erik ten Hag's plan to 'unlock Antony' handed huge blow as West Ham 'agree transfer'

Erik ten Hag's interest in reuniting with Bayern Munich right-back Noussair Mazraoui at Manchester United has been complicated by reports of an agreement between the Bundesliga side and West Ham United.

United are expected to be on the hunt for reinforcements on both sides of their defence, with concerns over the fitness of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia and the fact that Aaron Wan-Bissaka has entered the final 12 months of his contract.

According to The Times, Ten Hag sees former Ajax star Mazraoui as an ideal target because of his pre-existing relationship with Antony, whose potential could be "unlocked" through a reunion with his former teammate.

However, if United do want to land Mazraoui, they may have to move fast as Florian Plettenberg revealed that West Ham have already agreed terms with Bayern.

West Ham have agreed to pay Bayern an initial €15.5m (£13.1m) with a further €4m (£3.4m) in add-ons, and the Hammers have also reached a broad agreement with Mazraoui over personal terms.

There are still details to finalise and United are still believed to be chasing Mazraoui's signature, but West Ham have moved well ahead in the race to sign the 26-year-old.

Mazraoui and Antony played a total of 47 games together during their time at Ajax. When they shared the pitch, Antony managed 13 goals and eight assists, while Mazraoui chipped in with three and four of his own.

Finding a way to get Antony back to that form has been a key challenge for Ten Hag during the pair's two years at Old Trafford, but the boss has not yet lost faith.

"[Antony] certainly showed that potential in the first month: he scored three times in his first three games," Ten Hag said recently. "After that it became more difficult, last season was not good. But I am still convinced that he has the potential to play at this club."

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