Aston Villa and Brentford enquire about Manchester United winger Antony | OneFootball

Aston Villa and Brentford have reportedly established contact to explore the possibility of doing a summer deal for Manchester United forward Antony.

Antony is one of the multiple players expected to leave United during the ongoing window.

After falling down the pecking order under Erik ten Hag and losing his place in the team, Antony also struggled to break into Ruben Amorim’s plans.

The Brazilian was subsequently loaned out to Real Betis during the transfer window, where he enjoyed a dramatic uptick in form and fortunes.

From being the butt of jokes at Old Trafford, Antony almost instantly became a cult hero at Betis. He managed an impressive nine goals and five assists during his brief spell with the Spanish club. It doesn’t seem like much until you compare it to the 12 goals and five assists he put up during his two-and-a-half-year stint with United.

Antony was crucial for Betis, helping them to a sixth-placed finish in La Liga and reaching the Europa Conference League finals, where they eventually suffered a defeat at the hands of Chelsea.

Unsurprisingly, Betis are eager to make his stay a permanent one – a stance shared by the player, who has made no secret of his desire to continue under Manuel Pellegrini.

A report covered by The Peoples Person relayed that there is “growing optimism” that Betis will keep hold of Antony, who has also been linked to Juventus, Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid.

There have been suggestions that Betis could propose a co-ownership-style deal for Antony, offering United a relatively modest initial fee while giving them a significant percentage of any future sale, effectively banking on his continued growth and eventual market value.

This has been backed up by Stretty News, who report that Los Verdiblancos can only allocate €20m to make the deal happen.

But, Stretty News add that Antony also has admirers from the Premier League.

“Our sources can also confirm that Aston Villa and Brentford have enquired about Antony, but the tricky winger has clearly given his preference to Betis.”

It remains unclear whether Villa and Brentford will continue to pursue Antony or reconsider their interest due to his position.

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