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Antony signed for Real Betis on transfer deadline day | Real Betis
Man Utd managed to shift some unwanted players on deadline day of the summer transfer window.
Antony claims he turned down the chance to sign for Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window before he returned to Real Betis on deadline day. The 25-year-old was made available for transfer at the beginning of the summer and not required to report for pre-season training, but did not seal a Manchester United exit until the final hours of the window.
Antony had numerous enquiries to leave the club, but made it clear his preference was to return to Real Betis after his successful loan spell with the club last season. The forward rejuvenated his career when he moved to the La Liga club earlier in the year, where he scored nine goals and notched five assists in 26 appearances as they finished runners-up in the Conference League.
The Brazilian sealed his return to Betis on deadline day for an initial fee of £19m, with a further £2.59m in add-ons. The deal also includes a 50% sell-on clause and United did not pay off the remainder of his contract. It means the exit still represented a PSR loss, given they spent £81.3m to sign him from Ajax three years ago, but it was still a solution that suited all parties.
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It is suggested Antony could have earned more money if he had joined Bayern in the summer, who were reportedly prepared to offer him double the wage he will receive at Betis, but he had already given his word to the Spanish side over a transfer.
“I spoke with Bayern, I don’t know if it was €7m, but I said I had Betis’s word and that it was 95% certain and that I would respect my word. I feel comfortable making this decision because I’m very happy here. More than five teams called me,” he told El Partidazo de Cope.
“Today will mark my life; it was very emotional, and I’ve never experienced that before. My family is very happy; it’s very hard to be away from them, and it’s been very hard being alone in the hotel for more than 40 days. My wife was waiting in Seville, and I told her my first choice was Betis.
“I was very moved seeing the affection of the Betis fans; I couldn’t get out of the car, so I ran out. It was a very nice party.”
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