Manchester United attacker Antony is reportedly determined to secure a permanent move away from Old Trafford this summer, with Real Betis and Real Sociedad potentially going head-to-head for his signature.
Antony joined Real Betis on loan during the January market, and the Brazilian has impressed for Manuel Pellegrini‘s side since his arrival, scoring four goals and registering four assists in 10 appearances.
As it stands, the forward will return to his parent club at the end of the season, but according to The Sun, he is pushing to leave the 20-time English champions on a permanent basis this summer.
The report claims that a long-term switch to Real Betis is a serious possibility, while Real Sociedad are also showing an interest, with the pair potentially battling to sign him ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
Antony has only managed 12 goals and five assists in 96 appearances for Man United since his arrival from Ajax in the summer of 2022, with the 25-year-old struggling to make his mark at Old Trafford.
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Real Betis, Real Sociedad ‘battling for Antony deal’
Man United’s financial situation means that they will have to sell players this summer in order to boost their squad, and Antony is said to be one of 10 first-team stars who could be on the move at the end of the season.
However, should Antony continue to put up impressive numbers during his time at Real Betis, then it is entirely possible that the Green and Whites will be priced out of a deal for the Brazilian.
Man United head coach Ruben Amorim recently claimed that Antony’s lack of physicality has played a big role in him finding it difficult to make his mark at Old Trafford.
“When you play against any team in England, the physicality is there. If you don’t have physicality, you will struggle a lot,” Amorim told TNT Sports. “Antony is so much better now in Spain. It’s [because of] a lot of factors but I guarantee you it’s physicality.”
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Man United ‘planning to sell Antony this summer’
Antony’s agent hit back at Amorim’s claims, insisting that his comments ‘do not reflect reality’.
“We respect the opinion of coach Ruben Amorim, but we completely disagree with his analysis [of the winger],” Junior Pedroso told Marca. “To attribute Antony’s lack of success at Manchester United solely to the question of physicality is a very superficial argument and does not reflect reality.”
Antony scored once and provided one assist in Real Betis’ 4-0 win over Vitoria de Guimaraes in the second leg of their last-16 Conference League clash on Thursday night to help his loan side to progress to the next round of the competition.
The forward also has two goals and two assists in La Liga since his arrival, and he has helped Pellegrini’s side win each of their last four matches in the top flight of Spanish football.
