Man Utd forced into standoff to secure transfer for €95m FLOP

Suraj Radia

11 Jul 2025 10:45 BST
4 min read

‘The ball is in Manchester United’s court’ if they wish to sell Antony this summer, with reports in Spain claiming that Real Betis will look to ‘prolong’ negotiations to permanently sign their top target.

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Antony is one of a number of players who have been told that they can delay their return to pre-season training in order to find new clubs, with the likes of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho also having no future under Ruben Amorim.

Current ETV

Antony

M, AM (R)

Man Utd

Antony

M, AM (R)

Man Utd

ETV Range

€37.2M - €45.5M

Rashford opted against the extra time off, while Sancho is in talks with Juventus and Alejandro Garnacho has been allowed to return to train with the first-team but Antony is understood to have remained in Brazil, having reportedly told United that he wishes to leave and will remain in South America until his future is resolved.

Betis have been hoping to bring Antony back to the club after a hugely-successful loan spell in the second half of last season, with SPORT claiming the winger has a ‘burning desire’ to rejoin the La Liga side.

However, Betis are hoping to play on Antony’s desperation by ‘prolonging’ negotiations in order to lower United’s asking price of €40 million, while also aiming to convince the 25-year-old to reduce his salary expectations from between €7m and €8m to around €5m to €6m.

It is claimed that Betis will settle for ‘at most’ half of United’s asking price and orchestrate a loan move with an obligation to buy, paying €20m this year and another €20m next summer, although there is a belief that ‘the solution to the mess could lie somewhere in between’, indicating that the saga will drag on throughout the summer.

United and Antony desperate to come to agreement with Betis over permanent sale

Antony has been desperate to leave United after a dismal time at Old Trafford since his eyewatering €95m transfer from Ajax in 2022, with the Brazil international admitting he struggled with his mental health during his time at the club.

Betis offered Antony an escape route in January and the forward repaid their faith in abundance, scoring five goals in 15 games during his temporary spell to make Manuel Pellegrini’s side one of the most in-form sides in La Liga after the United loanee’s arrival.

© IMAGO - Antony has had a new lease on life during his time at Real Betis.

The turnaround has led Antony to only have eyes for Betis, with no other concrete interest having been made public as of yet, leading to United also being desperate to ensure they can seal a deal to cash in on the winger this summer.

United are hoping to raise significant funds from Antony’s departure, along with Rashford and Sancho, in order to boost their transfer budget which is expected to be depleted if the club’s protracted €80m move for Bryan Mbeumo is completed.

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