How Real Betis plan to sign former loan star Antony from Manchester United

Antony is one of five United players who have told the Red Devils they want to leave permanently this summer. The Brazilian secured a loan exit in January and hit an incredible run of form for Betis, scoring nine goals and supplying five assists in 26 matches for the Spanish side.

While Antony is "burning with desire" to return to Betis, there is currently nothing agreed with United regarding a permanent transfer according to SPORT. The La Liga outfit plan to drag the saga into the late stages of the summer and want to buy a percentage of Antony's rights before the move becomes permanent next year.

Antony cost United £85 million (€98.6 million/$116 million) in 2022 and the Premier League team want to recoup some of that fee, though whether Betis can come remotely close to that figure remains to be seen. The 25-year-old will also need to take a significant hit on his wages to get a transfer over the line.

This transfer may well take most of the summer to complete, but Antony is likely to have other suitors if Betis are unable to secure the deal they want. Serie A side Como, managed by Cesc Fabregas, are also thought to have thrown their hat into the ring for the former Ajax winger.