Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Man Utd make big Antony sacrifice as star closes in on unusual transfer agreement

Real Betis on loan winger Antony next to a cracked Man Utd badge and the words 'exit thunders closer'

Antony impressed during a loan spell at Real Betis from Man Utd

Manchester United are understood to be increasingly open to the possibility of granting Antony a dream transfer away from Old Trafford, amid claims a rarely-seen arrangement will help facilitate the deal and with the winger making clear his feelings on interest from Brentford and Aston Villa.

The Brazilian cost Manchester United an eye-watering figure of £86m (€100m, $115m) when he joined the Red Devils from Ajax in summer 2022. But despite Erik ten Hag convincing the board to fork out the second-largest fee in the club’s history, Antony rarely showed his best form at Old Trafford, often flattering to deceive and leave fans and pundits agast at the fee he cost.

With his situation not improving under Ruben Amorim, it was no surprise to see Antony head out on loan. And having agreed to a move to Real Betis, the winger quickly rediscovered his mojo in Andalusia and reminded the watching world of his talents once again.

Having played a part in an impressive 14 goals (nine scored, five assists) during his 26 matches for the club, it’s little to surprise to see the two parties hoping to make the arrangement permanent.

However, with Betis struggling to meet United’s demands – even with a serious reduction on their initial investment – Manuel Pellegrini’s side have been forced to get creative as they look to fund his signing.

Now, according to ABC De Sevilla, officials from Betis travelled to England last week for talks with United counterparts to try and thrash out a deal.

And in the meeting, they are understood to have proposed a deal that would see them pay just £17m (€20m, $23m) to become ‘part-owners of the player’.

Under the proposal, they would look to increase that ownership of the player, initially set at 50% by a further 12.5% each year over a four-year period until achieving full ownership.

Co-ownership deals are relatively common in LaLiga, but rarely seen in the Premier League. And Betis believe the formula would represent their only chance of bringing the 25-year-old back to the Estadio Benito Villamarin next season.

While United themselves would prefer a larger portion of the cash up front, they are well aware of Antony’s preference and are understood to be giving increasing thoughts to sanctioning the somewhat unusual request.

IN-DEPTH 🟢⚪ How Antony went from Man Utd flop to ‘top class’ LaLiga star at Real Betis

Man Utd outcast Antony to ignore Villa, Brentford to force through move

After his hugely productive spell at Betis , it’s little surprise to see several clubs having now sat up and taken notice of the star once again.

To that end, the 16-times capped Brazil international has been mentioned as a target for Juventus, Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid, with the latter having kept a close eye on his progress at Betis.

In addition, two Premier League sides have also been credited with an interest in the player in the form of Aston Villa and Brentford. The two sides are in the market for new wingers this summer, with the Bees set to lose Bryan Mbeumo – with United well placed to secure his signing – and with Villa plotting life after both two current loanees Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio.

Despite that, Antony is understood to have made it clear his preference remains on making his stay in LaLiga next season.

“I am very happy here, but I do not know what will happen in the future,” he said. “I always say that I enjoy every day, with the club, the city, everything, and I give my best for the team. It is still too early to talk about my future.

“I think that to regain my confidence, the most important thing was to reconnect with myself. I found that here, and that’s why I’m very happy and more confident every day.”

Pellegrini has also admitted he hopes to have Antony at his disposal again next season.

“I see Antony very involved in the team, in the group, in the institution,” Pellegrini said. “We would all be happy if he stayed, but now we have to focus on the present.”

Man Utd transfer latest: Mbeumo deal close; Ekitike swap proposal

On the subject of Mbeumo, United are reportedly closing in on striking an agreement with Brentford over the Cameroon international, following a fresh update from TEAMtalk transfer insider Rudy Galetti.

Elsewhere, TEAMtalk sources can reveal the transfer fee that United are looking to recoup for Jadon Sancho this summer as Saudi sides join a quartet of European clubs in the hunt for his signature.

And finally, United have decided on the two forwards they could offer Eintracht Frankfurt in a remarkable player-plus-cash deal for striker Hugo Ekitike, according to a report.

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