Manchester United are ‘optimistic’ that they can get €30-40m for Antony this summer after his success at Real Betis.
That’s according to Rafa Reis’ blog for UOL, who report that Manchester United still expect to make a loss on the Brazilian despite his improved form on loan in Spain.
They report that ‘despite all the success’ Antony has had at Betis under Manuel Pellegrini, including a goal in the Europa Conference League semi-final 2-1 win over Fiorentina, Manchester United still expect to make a loss on any deal.
They paid €95m to sign Antony from Ajax in 2022 and although he is ‘one of the sensations’ in the second half of the La Liga, he is only currently valued at around €20m.
Manchester United are slightly more optimistic and those in charge believe they can earn €30-40m from a sale.
One of the reasons Antony will not cost as much as United would like is the fact that all of the interested parties know they ‘really want to sell him’. It is also difficult to find anyone at Old Trafford would support the idea of him coming back and being a part of Ruben Amorim’s squad next season.
The relationship between Antony and the club was ‘quite strained’ during his time there as he struggled to justify the big price paid to sign him.
He has also shown signs of being uncomfortable living in Manchester, admitting in March that “the sun makes all the difference”.
Betis are interested in a deal despite the high costs required, but UOL state that Arsenal and Atletico Madrid have been making enquiries about him to provide competition.
Manchester United would certainly welcome that as they try to recover as much of their investment this summer, with optimism at Old Trafford they could get nearly half if they play their cards right.
