Real Betis reveal stance over permanent transfer deal for Man Utd flop Antony

Real Betis sporting director Manu Fajardo has confirmed the club will do ‘everything possible’ to keep hold of Antony beyond the end of the season.

Antony completed a January loan switch from Manchester United to Betis, with a view to getting his stuttering career back on track, and the 25-year-old has quickly won over fans in Seville with a string of impressive performances.

The Brazil international managed just one goal for the Red Devils prior to the move but has rediscovered his scoring boots in Spain, netting four times in 13 in all competitions under the guidance of Manuel Pellegrini.

However, Antony’s return to form has done little to change the minds of those in power at Old Trafford, with United’s hierarchy actively looking to offload the attacker at the end of the campaign.

Antony arrived at the Theatre of Dreams for an eye-watering fee of £82million less than three years ago and United are resigned to making a huge loss on the forward – a player Gary Neville recently described as one of the worst signings in the club’s history.

It’s understood United have slapped a £40million price tag on Antony, though could be persuaded into shaking hands on a lower fee when the summer transfer window opens for business.

Antony has repeatedly hinted that he would be keen to continue his stay with Betis – and it appears the La Liga outfit are on the same page as the Brazilian.

‘It’s a source of satisfaction on a personal level, but it’s the result of teamwork,’ Betis chief Fajardo said of Antony’s strong start following the side’s 1-1 draw with Barcelona.

‘Although I’m responsible for the sporting direction, there are many people involved in this signing.

‘It’s still early days, but we’ll try in different ways to do everything possible to continue enjoying Antony.’

Fajardo is immensely proud of Betis’ Europa League journey this season, with the club preparing for the first leg of their quarter-final clash with Polish outfit Jagiellonia Bialystok on Thursday evening.

‘We are one of the few Spanish teams that are in two competitions,’ he added.

‘It means a lot to be able to be in the semi-finals of a European competition.’

Last month, Antony was named in Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s five-man list of players who were ‘probably overpaid’ at United, along with Casemiro, Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund and Jadon Sancho.

‘If you look at the players we are buying this summer, that we didn’t buy, we’re buying Antony, we’re buying Casemiro, we’re buying [Andre] Onana, we’re buying [Rasmus] Hojlund, we’re buying [Jadon] Sancho,’ United’s co-owner told the BBC.

‘These are all things from the past, whether we like it or not, we’ve inherited those things and have to sort that out.’

Ratcliffe added: ‘It takes time for us to move away from the past into a new place in the future.

‘Some are not good enough and some probably are overpaid, but for us to mould the squad that we are fully responsible for, and accountable for, will take time.

‘We’ve got this period of transformation where we move from the past to the future. There are some great players in the squad as we know, the captain is a fabulous footballer. We definitely need Bruno [Fernandes], he’s a fantastic footballer.’

Antony, who has managed a total of just five league goals for United, is tied into a contract in the north west until 2027.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.