On Wednesday, Betis CEO Alarcon and sporting director Manu Fajardo returned to Spain after meeting with United officials about a possible Antony transfer. The former stressed that negotiations are at an early stage but progress is being made on bringing the 25-year-old back to the Spanish team after spending the second half of this season on loanat Manuel Pellegrini's side.
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WHAT REAL BETIS' CEO SAID
When asked how the meeting went, Alarcon told Estadio Deportivo: “Working, working… It’s still very early. We’re going little by little, as there’s still a lot of market space to be filled. This is very long, and it hasn’t even really begun."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Antony reportedly has no future at United, with the Premier League side prepared to accept a huge loss on their original £85 million ($115m) outlay. The aforementioned report adds that Antony has prioritised heading back to Betis next season but the Spanish team are said to be keen on another loan, whereas United want to sell the Brazilian. Moreover, Betis reportedly want Antony to put pressure on United and resist approaches from other clubs to get a move done.
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WHAT NEXT?
Antony, who has also been linked with Juventus and Erik ten Hag's Bayer Leverkusen, is not short on suitors but it remains to be seen where the ex-Ajax man will head to for the 2025/26 campaign.