Real Betis reject €50m bid for Antony, costing Manchester United £13m sell-on windfall

Manchester United have been denied a £13m windfall after Real Betis rejected a €50m approach for Antony, according to Spanish newspaper ABC as relayed by Sport Witness. The unnamed wealthy non-Premier League club’s bid would have been a record sale for the Seville club, but Betis turned it down, citing the winger’s importance to the squad and their inability to sign an adequate replacement with only a fraction of the proposed fee available upfront.

United sold Antony to Betis permanently last summer for €25m, having initially sent him on loan. Crucially, they inserted a 50 per cent net sell-on clause into that agreement — meaning a €50m exit would have generated approximately £13m for Old Trafford. That money would either have contributed to United’s ongoing transfer activity or been counted as further funds recouped from the £81m paid to Ajax for the Brazilian in 2022.

Antony justified Betis’s reluctance to let him go with a productive debut season under contract, registering 14 goals and 10 assists across 46 appearances in all competitions. The club finished fifth in La Liga and have qualified for the Champions League, adding further reason to retain a player now performing at his best.

The missed windfall comes as United continue to reshape their squad under tighter financial discipline. The club has spent just under £300m on six players since the Antony deal, and that figure looks set to exceed £300m this week with the imminent signing of Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba. United have also already added Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos as part of a midfield overhaul.

Attention is also turning to the left-back position, where Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall remains a priority but is considered unattainable. Racing Santander’s Jorge Salinas and Club Brugge’s Joaquin Seys have emerged as alternatives, while Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly had been linked but the Baleba deal appears to have ended that possibility given the 19-year-old’s preference for a central midfield role.

On the outbound side, Joshua Zirkzee is attracting interest from Italian clubs, while Marcus Rashford is reported to be staying at Old Trafford.