After more than a season of underperformance, Manchester United decided to finally send Antony away from the club in January with Real Betis agreeing a loan deal.
The Brazilian has been a huge disappointment since his €95 million move back in 2022, managing only four goals and two assists in his last one-and-half seasons in Manchester.
Since his move to Spain however, the ex-Ajax star has been transformed, managing five goals and four assists and Betis are keen to keep a hold of the Brazil international moving forward.
However, the 20-time English league champions will likely demand for €50 million to part ways with him permanently given his impressive current form, something the Spanish side might struggle to afford.
Betis want Antony
Which is why Manuel Pellegrini’s men were insisting on another loan, which INEOS might not agree to given their need to raise money through player sales as they look to hand Ruben Amorim a large war-chest ahead of the summer window.
The Peoples Person has already relayed United’s interest in Betis wonderkid Jesus Rodriguez and now Spanish media have suggested that a swap deal could potentially be on the cards.
“Since Antony’s arrival, he has scored a total of five goals, in addition to providing four assists, and has established himself as one of the idols of the Benito Villamarín stands.
“It’s only logical that they’re already doing everything possible to retain him, as he’s due to return to Manchester United in June. The problem is that it’s a truly complicated and expensive transaction.
Jesus swap
“They’re demanding compensation of around €50 million to finally open the door for him to leave. This is an amount Heliópolis can’t afford, but the English club is willing to offer a significant discount if they include Jesús Rodríguez in the negotiations.”
The Spaniard has two goals and as many assists his his breakthrough season and can play on both sides but excels on the left flank.
He would not cost much with his current market value standing at €10 million and fits INEOS’ recruitment model perfectly but Betis do not want to lose him given his enormous potential.
An interesting saga awaits and United can finally offload Antony and secure a healthy profit in the form of a future star.
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
