Man Utd receive tempting offer to finally offload mega-money flop

Manchester United have a chance to offload misfiring winger Antony in January, with a report revealing an approach from a LaLiga side as well as the lengths they’ll go to seal a deal.

Antony cost Man Utd a staggering £82m (rising to £82m through add-ons) when bought from Ajax in the final stages of the 2022 summer transfer window.

The Brazilian was a known commodity to then-manager Erik ten Hag, though Antony still struggled from day one in the Premier League.

His tally to date stands at just 12 goals and five assists in 93 matches across all competitions for Man Utd. The end result saw Antony largely overlooked by Ten Hag prior to his sacking earlier this season. The change in manager hasn’t helped, with Antony also used sparingly since Ruben Amorim took charge.

And according to a fresh update from Spanish outlet ABC Sevilla, Real Betis have mobilised for Antony’s signing in January.

It’s claimed Real Betis – who are managed by former Manchester City boss, Manuel Pellegrini – have made ‘the first moves.’

A six-month loan signing in January is on the agenda and the LaLiga side have ‘sounded out’ Man Utd regarding that type of deal.

Whether the Red Devils will say yes to a loan wasn’t made clear. It also wasn’t specified if Real Betis would look for a straight loan or a deal that contains an option/obligation to buy.

However, the report did hint there would be scope for Antony to join Real Betis outright after the loan concludes when noting: ‘the operation that is initially proposed as a loan.’

In any case, what was revealed is Real Betis are more than willing to cover a sizeable chunk of Antony’s £200,000-a-week wages.

To free up room and funds for the deal, ABC Sevilla noted Real Betis are considering the sale of 19-year-old winger, Assane Diao, who is valued around the €15m mark.

Assane’s sale would not only pave the way for Antony to arrive, but also allow Pellegrini to strengthen other positions next month too.

Antony agent confirms approaches / Man Utd stance confirmed

TEAMtalk understands Man Utd were willing to offload Antony last summer if a suitable bid were received. Given Antony stayed, an offer Man Utd deemed satisfactory obviously did not arrive.

Antony is among those Man Utd are ready to part ways with after approving a total squad rebuild. With funds tight, players must leave if the club are to provide Amorim with the financial backing he needs to reshape the squad in his image.

In a recent interview with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Antony’s agent confirmed he’s received “many” approaches for his client ahead of the January window.

“Yes, many clubs have approached us for Antony’s move in January,” said the star’s agent, Junior Pedroso. ” These clubs wanted to understand the situation for Antony, so I can confirm that there’s concrete interest.”

Pedroso went on to claim Man Utd have not informed either he or Antony that the winger is no longer required.

However, it’s TEAMtalk’s understanding that Antony is very much a player United are looking to offload – even if that’s not been directly communicated to the player.

Latest Man Utd news – Van Nistelrooy raid / 

In other news, Man Utd are believed to have fielded an enquiry from Leicester City and manager Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The former United striker is keen on signing defensive midfielder Toby Collyer on a six-month loan in January.

Elsewhere, trusted Man Utd reporter, Andy Mitten, has revealed where the blame for Marcus Rashford’s implosion at Man Utd truly lays.

“Every previous manager has had issues with Marcus Rashford,” Mitten sensationally revealed.

“I’ve spoken to them. They’ve told me in confidence going back years and years and years.”

The fact Rashford has butted heads with all of his previous managers – many of which deployed wildly differing styles of man-management – certainly suggests Rashford and not the managers were the problem.

Rashford has played under five different permanent managers during his Old Trafford career – Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag and now Amorim. Ralf Rangnick was also at the helm for around six months, though was officially listed as an interim manager.

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