Manchester United’s decision to loan out Antony seems to have reinvigorated the Brazilian, who has been on fire for loan club Real Betis.
In 19 games, the 25-year-old has six goals and four assists, including a sensational right-footed effort against David de Gea’s Fiorentina, which left the former United great flabbergasted.
He never managed to showcase such consistent goalscoring form for the Red Devils, which is why he was let go in the first place.
The player blamed off-field problems for his indifferent form but the pressure of his price tag and the responsibility of playing for the biggest club in the world was clearly too much for him to handle.
Antony in red-hot form
The Red Devils had spent a whopping €95 million to sign him from Ajax in 2022 on the insistence of former manager Erik ten Hag, and safe to say the move did not pay off as the Brazil international managed a meagre 12 goals and five assists in two-and-a-half seasons in England.
INEOS know this might be the best chance at recouping a decent fee for the ex-Ajax star given his superb form, and plenty of suitors are circling for his signature.
As recently relayed by The Peoples Person, Atletico Madrid are one of them while Betis themselves are desperate to keep hold of their talisman.
But they might not have the finances to pull off a deal worth €40 million, which is why reports have stated they are currently looking at another loan deal.
UOL Esporte have reported that Arsenal are also keen on the former Sao Paulo star and even though the 20-time English league champions would prefer not to strengthen a direct rival, they could be open to a deal as INEOS are keen to get rid of Antony’s wages as well.
“The English club plans to negotiate the striker’s economic rights in the next transfer window. However, they are fully aware that they will be far from recovering the 95 million euros invested in his signing in 2022.
Arsenal want Antony
“United are a little more optimistic. The “Blog do Rafael Reis” found that the English believe it is possible to earn between 30 and 40 million euros (up to R$260 million) from the sale of the player.
“One of the reasons why Antony doesn’t cost that much money (and must be a huge economic loss for the holder of his rights) is the fact that everyone interested in the striker knows that the Manchester team really wants to sell him.
“Now, Betis’ number 7 is in the sights of several clubs. Despite the high cost compared to their investment standards, the Spanish team is interested in buying the striker’s rights and keeping him in their squad. However, clubs like Arsenal and Atlético de Madrid have also been inquiring about the player.”
Whether it be Arsenal or a La Liga side, United just need to get rid of Antony permanently in the summer so that they can utilise the funds to help Amorim sign the players he wants.
Feature image Fran Santiago via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
