Manchester United are thought to have agreed loan Antony to Real Betis for the remainder of the season.
The out-of-sorts Brazilian arrived at United for a fee in excess of £80m in the summer of 2022 but has struggled desperately to meet that hefty price tag. Antony fell out of favor with his former boss Ajax Erik ten Haag and there were only two starts from the Dutchman's successor, Ruben Amorim.
Antony was made available for sale this month and initially attracted interest from the Greek team Olympiacos. However, La Liga side Real Betis were the most persistent suitors and have now reached a verbal agreement with United and the winger. Fabrizio Romano reports.
The deal is still subject to a completed medical with final documents being checked, but the three parties are believed to have agreed a six-month loan without including an obligation to buy clause. By the end of June, Anthony will return to United again.
Betis have lost their last three games and dropped into the bottom half of the season La Liga table. However, the team led by former Manchester City coach Manuel Pellegrini is still in a better position than United.
Antony only came on in the last six minutes for the Red Devils. dismal 3-1 loss in Brighton on Sunday afternoon. After overseeing the club's tenth defeat of the league season, Amorimi described current squad as “arguably the worst squad in Manchester United's history”.
Despite this dire run of form and the imminent departure of Antony and fellow striker Marcus Rashford, the Premier League strugglers have not been strongly linked with any January arrivals. Instead, United are thought to have made every player in the squad available for sale to raise funds before Amorim welcomes any arrivals this summer.