Manchester United has reached a principle agreement with Betis regarding Antony's return – the player spent the second half of the 2024-25 season on loan at Betis. However, the deal was once in limbo due to disagreements between the two parties over how to handle the issue of several million pounds in salary cuts that would follow Antony's departure.
Manchester United has decided not to pay the player any additional fees.
After falling out of favor at Old Trafford, Antony delivered an impressive performance during his loan spell at Betis, making 26 appearances and contributing 9 goals and 5 assists. He helped Manuel Pellegrini's team reach the Europa Conference League final, where they eventually lost 1-4 to Chelsea.
Antony joined Manchester United in August 2023 under the management of Erik ten Hag, with a transfer fee consisting of 95 million euros (approximately 81.3 million pounds at the time) plus a maximum of 5 million euros (around 4.2 million pounds) in add-ons.
Throughout the summer, Betis remained committed to bringing Antony back to Spain. The two clubs have agreed on a transfer fee of 25 million euros (about 21.6 million pounds), plus an additional 3 million euros in performance-related bonuses. The agreement includes a sell-on clause for Manchester United, which will receive 50% of the profits if Betis sells the player in the future.
Antony has two years left on his contract with Manchester United, with an annual salary of 6 million pounds. The winger hopes the two clubs can find a solution to ensure he receives 4 million euros in compensation for the salary difference after accepting a pay cut to join the La Liga side.
Betis has stated that the club has no intention of increasing its offer, and if Manchester United and the player fail to resolve this issue, the agreement will be deemed withdrawn and invalid. The Spanish club has notified Manchester United that its offer should be considered withdrawn, but Manchester United hopes Betis is merely using a negotiating tactic and expects the two sides to reach a compromise.
In the face of Betis' recent renewed efforts, Manchester United insists on only considering a permanent transfer rather than loaning Antony out again – the Brazilian international has not made any appearances for Manchester United at the start of the 2025-26 season.
In an interview with Camel Live in May this year, Antony emotionally revealed that he had stayed in his room for days without eating or drinking during his time at Manchester United because he had lost his love for football. The Brazilian international added that he "needed to rediscover himself" during his loan spell at Betis, and admitted that he had been "unhappy" and "lost his desire to play" in recent years.
