“Here we go!”: Antony seals €25m transfer to Real Betis – Fabrizio Romano | OneFootball

Manchester United winger Antony has sealed his dream move to Real Betis after months of protracted negotiations between the two clubs, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed.

A deal all summer in the making

Antony, 25, has been ardent in his desire to return to Seville after enjoying a superb loan spell with Betis in the second half of last season.

The Brazilian joined Los Verdiblancos in the January transfer window after firmly falling down the pecking order at Old Trafford after Ruben Amorim arrived to replace Erik ten Hag.

He would go on to immediately establish himself as an integral part of Manuel Pellegrini’s side, scoring nine goals and five assists in 26 appearances, propelling Betis to a sixth-placed finish in La Liga and the final of the Europa Conference League.

Betis were as keen for Antony to remain at the Villamarin Stadium as the player but the club’s limited finances made negotiations with United difficult, with the Red Devils keen to maximise the value of a player who no future at Old Trafford.

United are believed to have fielded better offers than the proposals submitted by Betis – but Antony’s steadfast wish to play for the Spanish side next season has warded off the potential of a move elsewhere.

Talks look to have broken down on Friday with Betis releasing a public statement that the costs involved were prohibiting an agreement.

However, this now appears to have been more of a negotiating tactic with the two clubs reaching an agreement in the early hours of this morning.

A breakthrough in negotiations

As relayed by The Peoples Person here, United have agreed a €25 million (£21.6m) transfer for Antony join Betis, which includes a 50% sell-on clause.

Italian transfer expert Romano has provided further corroboration, revealing the deal is worth €22m plus €3m in add-ons with Antony already in Spain to complete a medical in the next 24 hours.

Tweet: “BREAKING: Antony to Real Betis, here we go! €22m plus €3m fee to Manchester United. Manchester United will have 50% sell-on clause on profit for the future sale. Antony, in Sevilla in the next 24h for medical as deal is done. Antonio vuelve a Betis.”

Sky Sports have also confirmed the move which is expected to be formality to complete before the 7pm deadline tonight.

It brings an end to a winding saga which only ever really felt like it would finish with Antony wearing the green and white of Betis this season.

United are likely to be rueful they could not command a better fee elsewhere – but there will be a cathartic release to the exit of a player whose £81m transfer from Ajax three years ago constitutes one of the worst signings in the history of the Premier League.

Featured image Fran Santiago via Getty Images

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