Antony reveals Liverpool made £82m Man United signing a firm offer to replace Salah in 2022

Antony has revealed that Liverpool made him a firm offer before his £82 million move to Manchester United in 2022, with Jurgen Klopp targeting the Brazilian winger as a contingency plan while Mohamed Salah’s contract situation remained unresolved.

Speaking in an interview relayed by ESPN Brazil, Antony said he had “a proposal from Liverpool, from Klopp, on the table” at the time Erik ten Hag was pursuing him from Ajax. “It was also very good,” Antony said. “Salah was negotiating a departure, but he ended up staying. Then the manager called me. The name of Manchester United carries weight.”

Salah ultimately signed a new deal at Anfield and remained the club’s primary attacking force for a further four years, scoring 257 goals in 442 appearances across all competitions. Antony, meanwhile, moved to Old Trafford in a deal worth approximately £82 million — a fee that drew sustained scrutiny as he struggled to justify the outlay under Ten Hag.

The 25-year-old left United on a permanent basis last summer and has since rebuilt his reputation at Real Betis, registering 14 goals and 10 assists in 46 appearances across all competitions this season — comfortably the most productive campaign of his career.

Antony also used the interview to reflect on his difficult spell at United, stopping short of naming individuals but suggesting the environment fell short of basic professional standards. “I think there was a bit of a lack of respect there, even a bit of rudeness too, with no one giving you a good morning, a good afternoon,” he said. “Not even that. But, anyway, that’s in the past.”

Salah’s final season at Liverpool — he is set to leave the club this summer — yielded 12 goals in 41 appearances, a relative dip that underlined the natural end of an era on Merseyside. The Egyptian’s departure will reopen the attacking vacancy that, according to Antony, Klopp was already preparing for more than three years ago.