Confusion surrounds Antony’s proposed move from Manchester United to Real Betis, with the Spanish club saying they have withdrawn their offer after United sources said they had accepted it.
The clubs have been haggling over a deal for most of the summer, but there had been no agreement over a fee for the 25-year-old winger.
Antony had a productive loan spell with the La Liga side over the second half of last season, scoring nine goals and helping Manuel Pellegrini’s side finish sixth and reach the Conference League final.
He was one of five players exiled by United head coach Ruben Amorim at the start of pre-season training and forced to use the club’s Carrington training facilities at different times to the main group.
There have been links to other clubs, including some in the Saudi Pro League, but it has been clear Antony preferred a return to Betis.
Conversations have been ongoing for a number of days in an effort to break the impasse.
By Friday evening, multiple sources at United said a bid had been accepted and the terms of a permanent transfer agreed so the Brazil winger could fly to Spain and conclude his medical.
However, Betis sources questioned this version of events, before the Spanish club later released a formal statement saying: “Betis has retired its offer. Betis cannot afford a transfer fee, nor the amounts the player is supposed to receive.”
There are unverified suggestions one of the stumbling blocks relates to a payment to Antony around his outstanding wages on a United contract that runs to 2027.
It is not known at this stage whether further talks will take place in an effort to resolve the situation, nor whether Betis would be willing to make a fresh bid.
Although the English transfer window closes at 19:00 BST on Monday, in Spain it remains open until 22:59 BST the same day.
Antony had been earmarked for a transfer by United this summer, as one of five players – alongside Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Tyrell Malacia – who trained separately from the rest of the squad.
Amorim’s side have already offloaded Rashford, who has joined Barcelona on loan, while Garnacho is set to be unveiled as a Chelsea player after a £40m deal was agreed.
The so-called ‘bomb squad’, a reference to their being ‘bombed’ out of the first team, have not been allowed to access United’s Carrington training ground until Amorim and his squad have left for the day.
Antony scored five times and assisted twice in his 17 La Liga appearances for Betis after joining in January.
A permanent move would bring to an end what will go down as one of the most disappointing transfers in United history.
Antony arrived from Ajax for £81.3m in August 2022 and is the club’s second-most expensive signing, behind Paul Pogba.
After a bright start to his United career he faded badly. His last Premier League start was in the 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace in May 2024, while his last league goal was against Burnley the week before.
In an interview with TNT Sports Brazil, Antony said he found happiness again at Betis and his situation in England affected his family life, describing the period as “very hard days for me”.
