Antony signed for Real Betis on transfer deadline dayplaceholder image
Antony signed for Real Betis on transfer deadline day | Real Betis
Man United sold winger Antony to Real Betis on transfer deadline day for an initial fee of £19m.
One of the bigger stories over the course of the past six months at Manchester United was the future of winger Antony, who proved to be a flop at Old Trafford after the Red Devils paid £81.3m to sign him back in 2022.
He spent the second half of last season on loan at La Liga side Real Betis, where he was able to recapture some of his best form, he also found a home where he felt comfortable and the Brazilian winger began to enjoy his football again.
However, Betis could barely afford to sign him permanently, and so have had to agree a deal with Man United which involves several clauses and add-ons to match United’s valuation of the winger. He moved on deadline day for a base fee of £21.6m, but how much will the Red Devils actually get for him in the long run?
Fresh claim squashes sell-on clause rumour
After the deal to sell Antony was agreed upon, it was also learned the move included a sell-on clause, which would hand United 50% of any transfer fee if Real Betis ever decided to sell him in the future. That could have been a considerable amount for United, especially if he returns to his best in La Liga.
However, according to a fresh claim by the Express, the clause isn’t in fact 50% of the transfer fee, but just 50% of any profit that Betis make on Antony. So, if they hypothetically sold him for £30m (based on the initial fee), United would bank less than £5m as they’d only get a split of the £9.4m.
That comes as a bit of a blow to United’s potential long-term profit from the deal, as they could have found themselves (in the same hypothetical situation) getting £15m rather than around £4.7m, which is a big difference.
How much could Man United get from the Antony deal?
Assuming that Betis have no plans to sell the winger in the near future, the true value of the deal comes down to add-ons from the £21.6m base fee that Betis paid for Antony. It has been said that the deal could be worth up to £22.5m if all add-ons are included.
However, the same report by the Express says that Betis will pay around £3.9m per year during Antony’s five-year contract at the club, amounting to £19.5m. The add-ons to this deal are based on whether Betis qualify for the Champions League or win a European title. If either of those things happen, then the £3.9m figure will rise by £435,000 each time.
So, in terms of the most money United could get. If Betis were to qualify for the Champions League for every season in Antony’s five-year deal, that would amount to just under £2.2m, taking the total windfall up to £23.8m. That amounts to a total loss for the Red Devils on the winger of around £57m, a financially damaging saga for those at the top of the club.
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