Real Betis want further talks with Manchester United over a proposed deal for winger Antony following his successful loan spell.
Betis are proposing another loan with option to buy around £35million.
The Brazilian failed to live up to the £86m fee the Red Devils paid Ajax for his services in 2022, providing just 12 goals and five assists in 96 games at Old Trafford.
Yet a brief sojourn in Seville in the second half of the season seems to have reinvigorated the player, who came up with 14 contributions in 26 appearances – just five shy of his entire United tally in nearly a quarter of the time.
However that could come to help United this summer as they look to move him on, and an upturn in form appears to have reminded potential suitors that there is at least a talented attacker still in Antony.
The 25-year-old played a crucial role in Betis’ resurgence in the second half of the campaign and starred in their run to the Conference League final, where they suffered a 4-1 defeat by Chelsea.
Real Betis want further talks with Manchester United over a proposed deal for winger Antony
The Brazilian failed to live up to the £86m fee the Red Devils paid Ajax for his services in 2022, providing just 12 goals and five assists in 96 games
The 25-year-old is not in the plans of Ruben Amorim, who is looking to overhaul the United squad this summer
Following the loss, Antony posted an emotional farewell message to Real Betis and thanked them for helping him rediscover his ‘joy’.
Narrating over a series of highlight clips from his time at the club, he said: ‘Today one of the most beautiful chapters of my life closes. And before I turn the last page, I need to tell you why you were and always will be so special to me.
‘Since I was little, football wasn’t just a dream or my only chance to change my life. As many people say. For me, it was much more than that. It was my joy.
‘While others saw football as a way out, I saw it as a way to reach my destination. The only place where I felt complete. I counted the minutes until I could chase the ball.
‘Playing wasn’t an escape. It was destiny. It was pure happiness. Life took me far from the favela to the world. I left Brazil, played in Holland, in England, stopped being just a kid, and became a father. Many things changed.
‘But football, football was always there. It was always my refuge. Until one day, everything fell apart. From heaven to hell. The ball stopped coming in. The joy faded. My world turned dark. And I began to doubt myself, my talent, my passion for football.
‘And that’s when football gave me something else: you. When I arrived here, I didn’t know what to expect. But not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine finding what I found. From my first step at this club, I felt something different.
‘It was like coming home, like reconnecting with a part of me I thought I’d lost. With you, I smiled again. With you, I became that kid again. The one who loved football with all my heart. With you, football became love again. True love.
Speaking after the Conference League final, Antony admitted he was unsure over his future
‘Thank you for opening the doors to me as if I were one of the family. Thank you for giving me back the joy of playing. Thank you for reminding me why I fell in love with this game. My home. My people. Mucho Betis. Always.’
Quizzed on his future after Betis’ 4-1 defeat by Chelsea in the Conference League final in Wroclaw, Antony admitted he was still none the wiser.
‘I don’t what will happen in the future, only God knows,’ he told CBS Sports.
‘My work is playing and I’m doing that well. I have a lot of affection for Betis, for everyone, but I have a contract with United and I don’t know what’s going to happen.
‘Now I will go to the national team and then on holiday then we will see what happens in the future. I’m very happy here, everyone knows that but I have a contract.’
