Manchester United have missed out on an immediate £15.3 million cash injection after Real Betis rejected a £43m offer for Antony.
When negotiating his move to the Spanish outfit last summer, the Red Devils included a sell-on clause in Antony’s terms.
Antony to stay put at Betis amid outside interest
Now, Sport Witness has relayed reports claiming that Betis have rebuffed the lucrative approach for the Brazilian international, which came from an unspecified, non-Premier League suitor.
They have no interest in facilitating Antony’s departure less than 12 months after he made the permanent switch from Old Trafford to the Benito Villamarín on a five-year deal.
This time last year, Betis were desperate to bring the winger back to the club following his stellar half-season loan spell.
Antony notched nine goals and five assists in 26 appearances for Los Verdiblancos on loan, prompting them to shell out £22m to bring him in upon the culmination of his temporary contract.
Last term, the 26-year-old maintained such prolific form, returning 14 goals and 10 assists in 46 matches – making it no surprise Betis are closed off to a potential sale.
How did Antony fare for United?
It seems as though Antony is finally enjoying his football following a torrid three-year stint in M16.
Quite simply, he was not suited to the English top flight, and never really got going during his time at United despite being granted ample chances.
He pulled the curtains on his United tenure with just 12 goals to his name in all competitions, five of which came in the 63 Premier League games he featured in.
It goes without saying that Antony will go down as one of United’s most disastrous pieces of business in recent years, given they paid an upfront £80m to prise him from Ajax in August 2022.
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