Manchester United winger Antony is reported to be getting closer to securing his exit from the club, having spent the summer separate from the rest of Ruben Amorim’s squad.
Antony enjoyed an impressive loan with Real Betis during the second half of last season and has been holding out for a deal to return to the Spanish club.
There has been desire from both sides for a reunion this season, but Betis have lacked the means to go ahead with the signing without careful consideration of all the finances first.
Now, there appears to be a breakthrough in the saga. The Telegraph reports that an agreement in principle has been reached for Antony to rejoin Betis. It comes after Manchester United and the La Liga side held discussions over a transfer, which could take the form of a loan with obligation to buy.
Antony, who became United’s second most expensive signing when he arrived from Ajax in 2022, has been prioritising a return to Betis over all other options and is even thought to have rejected a potentially lucrative switch to the Saudi Pro League.
“We all know that he was very good here, we want him with us, and Antony wants to return no doubt,” Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini said on the subject last week.
Even after the start of the new campaign, Betis have tellingly left open the No. 7 shirt that Antony wore during last season’s loan for him to retake, a gesture showing their hope that a deal will happen.
Antony will ultimately be remembered as a Manchester United flop, but he made a whirlwind impact in the early weeks of 2022–23. The Brazilian netted in each of his first three Premier League appearances—against Arsenal, Manchester City and Everton—but then scored just twice more in his next 59 league outings. He matched his five-goal Premier League tally in only 17 La Liga games.
“There is a different tactical awareness, technical ability [in Spain], which is better suited to him,” ex-United captain Gary Neville explained on It’s Called Soccer earlier this summer.
“There were players like Kléberson or Diego Forlán; it just didn't quite happen for them [in England], but they had very good careers. Forlán was sensational in Spain, there are players who aren’t suited to a league.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Agreement in Principle’—Antony Finally ‘Edges Closer’ to Man Utd Exit.
