Brazilian winger Antony Alves is closing in a near $3.5M move to the Portland Timbers. Antony is eligible to sign as a Young Designated Player or under the U-22 initiative, giving the Timbers plenty of roster flexibility.
BREAKING: The Portland Timbers are finalizing a deal to sign 🇧🇷 winger Antony from Portuguese side Arouca for a fee around $3.5m, per source.
— MLS News (@willhansonmls) July 27, 2023
The 21-year-old had 6g/1a in 33 appearances last season for Arouca. @RyanTClarke first reported the Timbers interest. #RCTID pic.twitter.com/k4FwDsVqng
Antony, 21, began his career in his native Brazil with Coritiba’s academy but never appeared for the first team. Leaving Coritiba at 14, Antony would spend time in Renovicente and Joinville’s systems before making his professional debut for the latter. The winger appeared ten times for Joinville before leaving on loan for Corinthians, and then his most recent squad, Arouca in Liga Portugal.
During his time in Portugal’s second tier, Antony impressed enough for the club to make his stay permanent. In July, Arouca purchased Antony for $67K, lining them up to instantly make 52x their investment. Across 54 appearances for Arouca, Antony finished with eight goals with six of them coming last season.
Primarily playing on the left wing, Antony is versatile enough to play anywhere along a front three. A quick, direct forward, the Brazilian is best when cutting in from his flank, and running at goal. Able to use his dribbling to create for himself, Antony is also dangerous off the ball. His penchant for goal helps to draw defenders, and his speed makes him a constant threat for a line-breaking run. The type of runs Evander or Santiago Moreno would love to see ahead of them.