Following last night’s painful UEFA Europa League final defeat, it appears as if some sweeping summer changes will be necessary at Manchester United in order for the club to turn its fortunes around.
Stalwarts such as Luke Shaw, Casemiro, and even Bruno Fernandes struggled to perform on the night, while many younger players were like deer in the headlights, clearly nervous for such a massive occasion.
But if Man United are to make the necessary squad upgrades, they’ll need to part ways with some underperformers in order to bolster their transfer funds.
Although several regular starters may come to mind, Antony, who is on loan at Real Betis, is one player who manager Ruben Amorim seems to want to offload for good.
Previously, The Peoples Person relayed that United were prepared to accept transfer bids for Antony, clearly indicating that his time at Old Trafford was nearing an end.
This morning, the Manchester Evening News all but confirmed the club’s intention, going so far as to mention how much money the club would look to fetch for the Brazilian.
“Antony has thrived on loan at Real Betis, who have reached the Europa Conference League final. Antony only started in two games under United head coach Ruben Amorim in the Europa League and League Cup before he left in January,” the report noted, suggesting that Amorim was not an admirer of the former Ajax winger.
“United require a £32.52m fee to avoid a loss on Antony under the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules,” the article continued.
While this may be a long way off from the £20m that the club was previously reportedly willing to accept, United may just manage to get away with commanding a higher price for Antony, given his significant improvement in form in recent times.
Real Betis appear willing to keep Antony at the club, while Barcelona have also set their sights on the in-form winger.
Even more recently, it was reported that Villareal were looking to join the race for Antony.
This, combined with reports claiming that Atletico Madrid are also interested, points to a possible intense transfer battle for the rising star.
Although Antony may have improved his form exponentially in recent times, there is no guarantee that he’ll replicate his performances upon returning to Old Trafford. For this reason, it appears pragmatic to part ways with him, accept the money, and use it to bring in some priority transfers this summer.
Featured image Fran Santiago via Getty Images
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Mathew Cohen
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
