Manchester United will sell Antony to La Liga's 'mini-Argentina' for £40 million: Report

Manchester United is impressed by how Brazilian winger Antony has found rhythm again in the La Liga for Real Betis but is open to selling him, a report said. 

 

While Real Betis is not in a position financially to make Antony's stay at the Estadio Benito Villamarin permanent, their La Liga rival seems to be interested in holding talks with Manchester United for the 25-year-old. It is Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid that is reportedly watching the former Ajax man up close "with an intention to buy."

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Antony became the second most expensive player in the history of Manchester United when they shelled out £81.3 million on him in 2022. It was the costliest buy by the Red Devils ever after the £89 million signing of Paul Pogba in 2016. However, Antony failed to live up to the expectations at the Theatre of Dreams, often coming up with mediocre performances for Erik Ten Hag. He was brutally trolled even by a session of United fans as he struggled to justify the sum spent on him. 

 

The hefty amount they invested in Antony restricts United from letting him go cheaply. His poor form meant there was little to no hope of any bidders agreeing to pay even half the price he was bought for. 

 

However, Antony rose from the ashes like a phoenix after securing a loan move to La Liga's Real Betis in January. He quickly adopted to Spain and made an immediate impact for the club, earning a starter's spot under Manuel Pellegrini. Antony has six goals and four assists in 19 matches so far while he had managed just 12 goals from 96 games across competitions for United. 

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Currently, Real Betis is only paying a fraction of Antony's huge salary and Manchester United is not willing to extend the loan deal. The English giants are reportedly willing to sell him for an amount of around £40 million, the El Chiringuito said. Atletico Madrid, a constant challenger to the duopoly of Real Madrid and Barcelona, are capable of raising the said amount or even more for a player, unlike Betis. Manchester United are in desperate need of money and the sale of Antony, Casemiro and home-grown Marcus Rashford are all possible to be sold -- reports have claimed.

 

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Betis are only covering a fraction of his wages and can't meet the Red Devils' asking price. His future may also depend on Betis qualifying for the Champions League. 

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