New twist in Antony move as Betis withdraw offer

Real Betis have withdrawn their offer to join Manchester United, causing confusion about Antony’s proposed move, according to United sources who claimed they had accepted it.

Most of the summer, the clubs have been negotiating a deal, but there hasn’t been a price agreement between the clubs for the 25-year-old winger.

In the second half of last year, Antony scored nine goals and assisted Manuel Pellegrini’s side to finish sixth and reach the Conference League final on a fruitful loan spell with the La Liga side.

At the start of pre-season training, United head coach Ruben Amorim forced him to use the Carrington training facility at various times in addition to the main group. He was one of five players who were exiled.

Although there have been rumors about other clubs, including some in the Saudi Pro League, Antony has always preferred to play for Betis.

In an effort to break the impasse, conversations have been going on for a while.

Multiple United sources reported that a bid had been accepted and a permanent transfer agreement had been reached by Friday evening, so the Brazil winger could depart for Spain and finish his medical there.

Betis sources, however, raised questions about this account before the Spanish club later issued a formal statement stating that Betis had rejected its offer. The player’s transfer fee and compensation are both impossible to come by at Betis.

One of the biggest obstacles is an unproven theory that involves paying Antony his outstanding wages under the United contract, which runs until 2027.

At this time, it’s unknown whether Betis would be willing to make a new offer or whether further discussions will be held to resolve the issue.

United had selected Antony for a summer move because he was one of five players who did not work with the rest of the squad, aside from Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, and Tyrell Malacia.

Rashford has already left for Barcelona on loan, while Garnacho will be unveiled as a Chelsea player once a £40m deal has been agreed.

The so-called “bomb squad,” which refers to being “bombed” out of the first team, have been prevented from entering United’s Carrington training facility until Amorim and his team have left for the day.

In his 17 La Liga starts since joining Betis in January, Antony has scored five goals and added two assists.

What will go down as one of the most disappointing transfers ever made to United would be ended by a permanent move.

Antony, who cost the club the second-most money, after Paul Pogba, signed for Ajax for £81.33 million in August 2022.

He badly faded after a promising start to his United career. His most recent Premier League start came against Burnley the week before, when he lost to Crystal Palace by a 4-0 margin in May 2024.

Meanwhile, United are still waiting for Napoli to agree a loan deal with Denmark’s Rasmus Hojlund.

In order to fulfill one of the requirements, which are believed to be the qualification of Antonio Conte’s side for the Champions League, United has agreed the terms of the loan agreement with the Italian champions. This initial loan would become a permanent £38 million deal.

Hojlund, 22, made a strong desire to stay at United after being benched for the final pre-season friendly against Fiorentina.