Manchester United are now less than two weeks away from the start of the new Premier League season and still have a lot of work to do.
Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have been brought on board to overhaul Ruben Amorim’s attack, but reinforcements are still needed elsewhere on the pitch.
What’s more, United’s squad still includes several stars who have asked to leave the club. The likes of Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho are still on the books despite clearly not being in Amorim’s plans, and did not travel on the pre-season tour of the USA.
Antony on his way
Another wantaway winger left out of the trip across the pond is Antony, who spent a productive second half of last season on loan at Real Betis.
After flopping badly at Old Trafford it was a welcome resurgence for the Brazilian, who quickly became a cult hero in Seville. The 25-year-old is desperate to return, but the club do not have the financial muscle to meet United’s asking price.
Reports last month claimed that Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr were prepared to spend big on the player to reunite him with Cristiano Ronaldo, while two sides in his native Brazil were also keen on signing him.
United over a barrel
But Spanish outlet Sport claim that Antony has been clear with the Red Devils that he only wants a move back to the Villamarin Stadium and will “refuse to listen” to other offers, such as the lucrative one from Al-Nassr.
The player is “willing to wait for Betis until the end of the transfer window”, and his apparent refusal to engage with any other approach leaves United in a sticky situation.
The Red Devils have long battled with player power and are now reaping the consequences of investing so heavily in the winger. The club are desperate to avoid making a loss, with every penny counting in a crucial summer for rebuilding the squad, but by digging his heels in Antony is holding all the cards.
For their part Betis are determined to get their man, and have “a plan to convince United” that involves “figures close to €20m in exchange for a percentage of the player’s rights”. It’s far from the clean break that United want, and the Red Devils are “entrenched” in their position of wanting to sell to the highest bidder.
But with Antony “not willing to budge”, and even willing to take a pay cut to return to Betis, he and his potential new employer know that “time is running out for United.”
The Old Trafford side don’t want a deal for Antony to go down to the wire but “aren’t willing to let him go at any price”, opening the door for an uncomfortable Manchester stay for the disgruntled attacker. That said, some surprising claims indicate that some in the United dressing room would actually like to see the Brazilian kept on and reintegrated into the squad next season.
Featured image Fran Santiago via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
