Real Betis are making it no secret that they want to re-sign Antony following a successful spell on loan at the La Liga club.
There will be lots of changes at Manchester United this summer.
Ruben Amorim will welcome new signings to the squad following the arrival of Matheus Cunha, but Ineos are also planning to sell players to raise funds and lower the wage bill.
United are now working on a deal to sign Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo following an impressive season in the Premier League. The Cameroon international scored 20 league goals and could join a side that struggled in front of goal last term.
That means there will be less room for certain attacking players who have underperformed under Amorim. The United head coach will also look to let go of players he sent on loan in January, including Antony and Marcus Rashford.
Antony celebrates a Real Betis goal against Chelsea
Photo by Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images
Real Betis ‘working’ on deal to sign Antony again
Antony flopped at Old Trafford after costing United £86 million following a transfer from Ajax.
Many United fans will blame Erik ten Hag for that deal, and the club must now prepare to make a loss by ensuring that the Brazilian leaves the club.
Antony’s disappointing performances at United meant he didn’t start a single Premier League match last season before joining Real Betis on loan. The move has given the winger a new lease of life, as seen when Carlo Ancelotti recalled Antony to his Brazil squad.
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In Spain, Antony rediscovered his form, scoring nine goals during his loan spell.
Real Betis CEO Ramon Alarcon has confirmed that Real Betis are “working” on a new deal to sign Antony, but he warned that the process will take time.
Speaking to Estadio Deportivo this week, Alarcon said: “Working, working… It’s still very early.
“We’re going little by little, as there’s still a lot of market space to be filled. This is very long, and it hasn’t even really begun.”
Reports also suggest that Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus are interested in signing the winger, which means Real Betis cannot afford to drag out negotiations for too long.
Real Betis face a race against time.
Antony has made his priority clear
After enjoying a short spell in Spain and coming away from a horrific period in Manchester, it doesn’t look like Antony will be returning to the Premier League anytime soon.
In a recent interview with TNT Sports Brazil, Antony got emotional when he discussed his time at United as he had to deal with issues relating to his private life.
“[Coming to Betis] changed a lot because I needed to find myself, because of everything I went through in my personal life,” Antony said.
“As I said, I wanted to do things, but they didn’t seem to work out because I wasn’t happy, I didn’t feel that desire to play football, and I needed to find myself and be happy again because playing football was always something I loved.
“I went through difficult times [at United] when I no longer felt that pleasure. I even always told my brother, I told him that I couldn’t take it any more.”