Real Betis CEO Ramón Alarcón has detailed how they eventually got a deal over the lines with Manchester United for Antony, thanks to help from shirt supplier Hummel.
[ABC Sevilla](https://www.abc.es/deportes/alfinaldelapalmera/noticias-betis/alarcon-madrugada-domingo-lunes-desbloqueo-fichaje-antony-20250909134325-nts.html) cover comments from the Betis chief today made in an interview with El Chiringuito in which he details how they finally got he complicated deal with Manchester United over the line.
Betis had sought to bring Antony back to the club all summer after his highly successful loan spell in the second half of last season.
A deal proved complicated, though, with Manchester United looking to secure as high a fee as possible and resisting another loan deal as they looked to balance their books and recoup as much of the €90m they spent on the Brazilian as possible.
A deal worth €22m plus €3m and a 50% sell on clause, that’s 50% of any future sale, was eventually struck on deadline day of the transfer window and Alarcón has reiterated that it was a mad scramble to get it done with Manchester United.
“There was a moment when we saw it was lost because United’s position was difficult,” he said.
“We had a difference of €5-6m and had already reached our limit. In the end, we all made an effort, we did our part, and so did the player and United.
“On Sunday, during the match against Athletic, the relationship was very tense. Around noon, United sent the draft contract and asked us to make the changes. It was clear that they were going to comply with our requests.
“In the early hours of Sunday morning, at 2:00 a.m., we received confirmation. In the morning, we closed the accounting for Antony’s future capital gains because we wanted to have the ability to recover the investment. It was one of the most problematic points, but we resolved it,”
“Sunday at 2:00 a.m. is when the situation was unblocked, and we started looking for a plane so he could come on Monday afternoon. There was still a bit of stress because everything was agreed upon, but we had to wait for the Manchester United owners in the United States to sign, and they did so at 3:00 p.m. on Monday.”
Talk through much of the summer had made it clear that Betis simply didn’t have the funds to either match Manchester United’s demands or pay Antony’s wages unless there were big concessions on both parts.
They were eventually given but it still took outside help for the Spanish club, from kit makers Hummel, to get the deal over the line.
“We’ve launched a clothing line with Antony, we’re participating with him through royalties, and he’ll also have some non-sporting income from that merchandising,” explained Alarcón.
“If he ends up being the world star he has been, we at Betis hope to recover the investment and even what it cost us the previous year. It carries a certain risk because this is locked in for five years and at a high cost, but you can potentially reap benefits.
“It’s the most difficult signing I’ve made as CEO because there was a lot of pressure from all the Betis fans. It was taken for granted that he was coming; everyone was asking when he was coming.”