Antony to stay at Man Utd? Why Brazilian's proposed move from Old Trafford to Real Betis has hit a snag due to a new transfer rule

Antony joined Betis on loan from United in January and since then he has been a hit for the Spanish side. The Europe-chasing team have made it clear they want to sign the 25-year-old permanently this summer but their hopes of signing the £40 million-rated ($53.3m) winger are said to have been dealt a blow.

The Mirror reports that Betis may not be able to sign Antony as new La Liga rules, which have been brought in line with UEFA ones, limit instalment payments to a maximum of five seasons for clubs that do not exceed their limits. Previously, they spread payments over seven years, such as with their ex-French star Nabil Fekir, but this shorter timespan may put pay to Betis' Antony move.

Since moving to the Spanish side on loan, Antony has scored five goals and bagged four assists in 17 matches for Betis, who sit sixth in La Liga and are into the Europa Conference League semi-finals.

Aside from whether or not Betis can sign Antony, he could feature for Manuel Pellegrini's team in their Conference League clash at home to Fiorentina on Thursday.