Officials from Real Betis are set to travel to England next week to discuss the possibility of another loan deal with Manchester United for Antony, according to a report from Spain.
Antony, 25, swapped Manchester for Seville in the January transfer window to join the Heliopolitanos on loan until the end of the season.
The Brazilian had fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford since Ruben Amorim arrived from Sporting CP in November to replace Erik ten Hag – the manager who had brought Antony to the club in an £81 million deal.
But the winger never adapted to the rigours of English football and struggled for the vast majority of his two-and-half-years in Manchester. In many ways the Theatre of Dreams became more of an unrelenting nightmare for him.
The switch to Spain, however, proved revelatory with Antony immediately establishing himself as an integral part of Betis’ side and not having looked back since.
In 26 appearances for his adopted team, the 25-year-old has scored nine goals and provided five assists. He helped Betis secure Europa League football next season with a sixth-placed finish in La Liga and propelled them to the final of the Conference League, though Manuel Pellegrini’s side fell to a 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in Poland on Wednesday night.
Antony is keen to remain at the Villamarin Stadium next season, revealing how his time in Seville has reminded him of life in Brazil – a far cry from the grey skies of Manchester.
United are also open to his permanent departure but would require a transfer fee worth at least £32.5 million due to the winger’s outstanding book value from his original move from Ajax. If the club were to sell for less than this price, the deal would actually incur a negative hit from a PSR perspective.
Betis are unlikely to be able to match this fee – a significant one for any club in Spain outside the ‘big three’ – and are instead pushing for another loan deal.
But, crucially, the Liga side are now willing to negotiate a loan deal which could include “obligations” to buy, according to Spanish outlet ABC.
The report states, “Betis will meet with Manchester United next week to negotiate a new loan for Antony, with an option to buy.
“Betis’s current plan is for the Brazilian to return to the green and white team, but with clauses that become options or obligations to buy depending on his performance.
“The parties will need to finalize this figure and the terms of the deal, including all the variables, future scenarios, and the player’s salary, at the meeting they are holding in Manchester in the coming days.”
Betis are described as “optimistic” about securing another loan and will utilise Antony’s desire to remain in Spain as a gambit in negotiations.
If United could receive a modest loan fee, say £5 million, with Betis including an obligation to buy for £20 million at the end of next season, while covering Antony’s wages, it would constitute a compromise which suits both parties.
Betis would be able to spread the cost of signing Antony over two summer windows, without having to match the £32.5 million valuation, and United would be able to sell the winger next year for a profit, as his book value will have reached around £16 million, while still receiving a small fee this summer.
Featured image Gabriele Maltinti via Getty Images
Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
