Manchester United winger Antony is reportedly inching closer to joining Real Betis on loan for the remainder of the season.
Antony followed Erik ten Hag from Ajax to United for a whooping £86million fee and got off to a great start, scoring the winning goal against Arsenal at Old Trafford.
However, since then, he has struggled, failing to justify his massive price tag. He was once again a point of frustration for supporters on Thursday as he missed a clear-cut goalscoring opportunity that would have drawn the team level.
Fortunately for United, Amad Diallo was on hand to bail them out as he produced a sensational late hat-trick to secure the comeback win.
Earlier this week, Sky Sports revealed that United were in ongoing talks with several clubs, including Betis, over a loan switch for Antony.
A subsequent report covered by The Peoples Person claimed that Betis tabled an improved bid to get a deal for the Brazilian over the line.
Now, journalist Matthew Gonzalez of ABC de Sevilla states that there were fresh talks today between United and Betis and an agreement is not too far away.
Gonzalez wrote on X, “The Antony-Betis deal continues to move forward. There have been new contacts between the clubs today and an agreement is being drawn up for the loan until the end of the season.”
“There is competition from other clubs but the Betis are seen to be well-positioned to reach a definitive end.”
Lo de Antony y el Betis sigue avanzando. Hoy ha habido nuevos contactos entre los clubes y se perfila el acuerdo para la cesión hasta el final de temporada. Hay competencia de otros clubes pero los verdiblancos se ven bien posicionados para alcanzar el pacto definitivo…
— Mateo González (@Matglez) January 18, 2025
According to Gonzalez, Betis are confident they can help Antony rediscover his best form, enabling him to become a key player under Manuel Pellegrini.
It’s understood that the idea is for both clubs to share the burden of paying Antony’s wages. United are also adamant that they need a “guarantee” that Antony will play regularly at Estadio Benito Villamarín.
So far this term, Antony has only played 401 minutes for United, with most of his game time coming in the Carabao Cup – a competition United are no longer in.
The 24-year-old has yet to start a Premier League match under Ruben Amorim.
Feature image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
