Manchester United have set a new asking price for Antony to attract more suitors towards a permanent deal for the Brazilian winger, who excelled in La Liga last season.
It’s shaping up to be an important transfer window for Ruben Amorim, after Manchester United announced the signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolves.
The first summer signing signalled United were prioritising attacking additions in the summer transfer window, with the Red Devils now chasing Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo to add to Amorim’s firepower in the final third.
There is also room for a new striker after watching Rasmus Hojlund struggle to lead the line for the past two seasons. United need a goalscorer to reach the next level and the Dane is not the answer right now.
That means some attacking players will be leaving the club, with Amorim set to axe four players from the pre-season squad. That includes Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.
Those players don’t appear to have any future at Old Trafford with big changes set to come ahead of the new season.
Antony facing Brighton in the Premier League
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Man Utd want £32.58m for Antony
United tend to struggle when it comes to selling players.
It’s been a frustration for United fans to see the club pay big and often sell at a cheaper rate, but that will be the case again this summer, so long as clubs show an interest in our sellable assets.
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Antony is one player United will be hoping to move on after an impressive spell at Real Betis, after joining the La Liga outfit midway through the season and reaching the Europa Conference League final before losing to Chelsea.
The United flop rediscovered his best form at Real Betis, scoring nine goals on top of five assists in 26 appearances.
Real Betis are trying to conduct a deal to re-sign Antony, but it remains to be seen if they have the financial power to sign the 25-year-old on a permanent deal.
It is understood that Antony is willing to take a pay cut to leave Old Trafford permanently in the summer. Now, a report from the Manchester Evening News claims that he is prepared to take a 30% pay cut to join a new club.
The report adds that United would require a fee of £32.58 million to avoid a loss on Antony under the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability regulations, which is under £7m less than what Betis had the option to sign him for at the end of their temporary deal.
It’s still a significant loss to make after signing Antony for £86.3m from Ajax in 2022.
This suggests that United may accept less for Antony to ensure they get him off the wage books.
Antony earns around £150,000-a-week with United and doesn’t play regularly. Let’s not forget, United are not competing in the Champions League, and the wage bill should be reduced.
Who is linked to Antony?
We already know that Real Betis want to keep Antony for another season, but there hasn’t been enough talk of a permanent move to get excited.
Antony has been linked with Bayer Leverkusen to form a reunion with Erik ten Hag, who was responsible for bringing the winger to United.
The Bundesliga club have made a fortune from selling players to Liverpool this summer and have no shortage of funds.
Atletico Madrid are also interested in Antony following his impressive spell in Spain.