Manchester United outcast Antony is reportedly getting closer to his preferred destination, Real Betis. The winger signed for the Red Devils in 2022 for a fee of £82 million, making him the 2nd most expensive purchase in their history. However, the Brazilian was not able to replicate his Ajax form with the Manchester side. Therefore, 3 years later, Manchester United no longer have him in their plans.
Antony’s loan spell with Real Betis
During this year’s January window, Antony was looking for a move away from the club. While there was scepticism surrounding his level, Real Betis took the chance and signed him on a 6-month loan deal. The move more than paid off as Antony quickly became their best player during those few months.
The winger played 26 games for the Andalusian club, scoring 9 goals and assisting 5 goals. While the numbers were decent, the manner in which he scored those goals was what caught the eye. During his time with them, it seemed like he turned up with an outrageous goal every single gameweek. Additionally, the goals he scored were not useless, with most of them being game-winners. Furthermore, Antony led Betis to the Conference League final, which they lost to Chelsea. The 25-year-old contributed to 9 G/As along the way.
🇧🇷📊 Antony (25) has 11 goal contributions in 20 appearances for Real Betis. ✨
This goal vs Fiorentina… 😍🚀 pic.twitter.com/Kvz00NIiNl
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) May 6, 2025
His flair, creativity and silkiness on the ball instantly made him a fan-favourite. In fact, following Betis’ 2-1 win in the derby against Sevilla, club legend Isco said, “We need to crowdfund so he can stay at least another year” as a joke.
It’s fair to say that the loan ended up becoming the stuff of dreams for Antony, Betis and its fans. Now, the club wants Antony once again. This time, on a permanent deal.
Real Betis negotiating for Antony transfer
Back in May, Betis’ manager Manuel Pellegrini said, “We’d like to keep him here, but it’s not easy when you pay 100m for a player”. Real Betis were always going to try and sign Antony again. However, their finances were always going to make it difficult for them.
At the beginning of the window, Italian side Como were said to be interested in the winger. However, Antony turned them down as his priority was to return to Betis. This has not changed so far, as his priority still remains Betis.
Betis spent the entire window negotiating with United for the Brazilian. The Verdiblancos, like many other LaLiga clubs, cannot handle a large transfer fee due to their LaLiga FFP issues. Hence, reports suggest that they’ve been requesting another loan move for the player. This could be the reason why the negotiations are taking so long, as United are dead-set against a loan move.
Now, though, fresh reports have emerged stating that Manchester United have accepted a bid from Betis to sign him on a permanent deal. The transfer fee has not been revealed yet, but the player has been given permission to travel to Seville and discuss personal terms with the Verdiblancos.
Personal terms are likely not going to be an issue. Antony’s current wages of around £100,000 gross per week may be a bit too high for Betis. However, the player may agree to a lower salary given how much he wanted this move to go through.
How will he fare at Betis?
Going off the previous loan spell, this would be an amazing move for both Antony and Betis. Betis are constantly on the edge of the big 3 of Spanish football, getting into European competitions consistently. At his best, Antony’s one of the best wingers in the world. He certainly looked like it during the loan spell. If he does continue that form, He could take Real Betis one step closer to the top clubs of LaLiga.
However, whether he can replicate that form remains a question for now. There is always the chance that he may not live up to the level he previously showed with them. With that being said, hopefully, he does replicate those performances, now permanently.