Man Utd handed massive Antony transfer boost after unexpected development

Man Utd handed massive Antony transfer boost after unexpected development

Manchester United have a group of four players they want to sell in the summer transfer window after they were exiled by Ruben Amorim ahead of the pre-season tour

Ruben Amorim will be happy with the development (Image: Getty Images)

Manchester United’s hopes of selling Antony this summer have been boosted amid reported interest from Saudi Arabia. Antony is part of the so-called ‘bomb squad’ at United, having been frozen out of the first-team set-up by Ruben Amorim, who is desperate to offload him.

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United have signed Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo this summer for a combined total of £133.5million and know they need to sell players in order to balance the books. Marcus Rashford has been sent on loan to Barcelona, who are covering his wages, but Antony remains on the books along with Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Tyrell Malacia.

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Amorim has jetted off to Chicago to start United’s pre-season tour without the exiled foursome, who have been told to look for new clubs. Antony spent the second half of last season on loan at Real Betis and had hoped to move to Seville permanently.

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The Brazilian winger got nine goals and five assists in 26 games for Betis last season, reviving his career and earning many new fans in the process. Betis are keen to re-sign him for the 2025/26 season, but want another loan, rather than a permanent deal.

United have different ideas and are seeking a club who will sign Antony, who cost £85m from Ajax in 2022. They have received some interest from Atletico Madrid, but the Spanish side have not followed up on it yet.

Nevertheless, a new avenue could be open, with Sky Sports reporting that two unnamed Saudi Arabian sides are considering a move for Antony. Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich are also in the picture, but all the clubs are weary over the costs involved in a deal.

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It is understood that Antony would prefer to stay in Europe’s top leagues, rather than move to the Middle East. Erik ten Hag – the man who oversaw his best form at Ajax and authorised his big-money move to United – is now in charge of Leverkusen, but he has distanced himself from a transfer.

Ruben Amorim wants to sell Antony (Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

“He has great quality,” he told BILD recently. “I signed him twice. He was like a son to me, he still is a son to me. We're not interested in him at the moment, but we'll see what happens in the future.”

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Antony has returned just 12 goals and five assists in 96 games for United and is a major drain on resources. He earns £200,000-a-week at Old Trafford, where he is under contract until June 2027.

After a miserable time at United, he loved his stint at Betis, who he helped reached the Conference League final. “Yes, I'm very happy. I found myself,” he said at the time. “I needed to find myself and be happy. My family needed to be happy too. Every day that passes confirms it was the best decision and as you said, I'm enjoying the city and the club every day.”

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