Manchester United find themselves in a difficult situation this summer. Every club knows that the Red Devils are in a desperate need to sell players to balance their books and potentially make new signings and that there are a number of names in that squad that Ruben Amorim doesn’t count on.
The Red Devils are yet to negotiate exits for any of these players even as discussions continue. One more problem for the English club is that they have generally paid much more than merited for many of these players in the recent past and thus, the financial hit they need to take to move them on is significant.
Now, as per TeamTalk (h/t Manchester Evening News), Manchester United have lowered their asking price for Brazilian attacking outcast Antony from £43.3m to £30.3m in an attempt to secure a transfer with La Liga side Real Betis, who are keen on taking him after his exploits for them last season.
Man Utd to take massive hit
By doing so, the Red Devils would be willing to take a hit of around £51m on the initial fee they paid to Ajax to sign the player. It is a massive financial loss that the club will be taking but it is something that has to be done, to get him out of the wage books, once and for all.
Antony moved to Real Betis for the second half of last season, on loan, and had a brilliant impact. He was one of the best players in La Liga in the second half of the 2024/25 season and helped them secure European football and also reach the finals of the Conference League where they lost out to Chelsea.
When Man Utd signed Antony, he came with a massive price tag but also lot of promise. He hit the ground running, almost instantly, scoring three goals in his first three games. His re-association with Erik ten Hag was expected to be massive but it didn’t turn out that way.
A breath of fresh air
It is not easy representing a club of the Red Devils’ stature as the pressure is always on you. There are a million eyes watching every move you make and scrutinizing every small mistake and it could get to the head. That is exactly what Antony seemed to be struggling with.
Thus, his move to Real Betis in the second half of the season came like a breath of fresh air. Antony got the chance to thrive in a much less demanding environment, and he blossomed into his own. Thus, a return to the La Liga club makes sense for the Brazilian and Man Utd will be keen to make a clean break and move on, once and for all.