Manchester United outcast Antony is reportedly ready to take a 30 per cent pay cut to facilitate his departure from Old Trafford this summer, boosting the hopes of interested clubs, particularly Real Betis.
Currently earning £150,000-a-week at United, Antony is willing to lower his wage demands and drastically impact his future life earnings to around £95,000-a-week to make a move possible.
United are keen to secure a transfer fee for the former Ajax winger to bolster their finances this summer, needing to raise £32.58million to avoid a loss under profit and sustainability regulations – a far cry from the £85m they splashed out in 2022.
Despite struggling to impress following Ruben Amorim’s arrival at United, Antony found form in Spain after securing a loan move to Betis in January. The Brazilian contributed to 14 goals in 26 matches, helping the club reach the Conference League final.
Both Betis and Antony have expressed interest in making the move permanent, although there were concerns that the La Liga side might not be able to afford the deal. However, Antony’s willingness to accept a reduced salary, as reported by the Manchester Evening News, could be a game-changer.
Antony has been vocal about his desire to return to Betis, previously stating: “I love the club, the city, everything. The sunshine, the people, the food: it reminds me of Brazil.
“And most importantly, I’ve found myself. I wasn’t playing much [at Manchester United]. I needed to be happy in myself.”
Amorim is eager to see new signings this summer, with the pace of United’s transfer business this summer not quite yet kicking into gear. The Red Devils have added Matheus Cunha to their squad but have not made much progress on incoming or outgoing transfers.
Amorim wants new players on the plane for United’s three-game tour of the United States The United boss sees the tour as the ideal environment to integrate new players and to learn his system.
The 40 year old also wants United to offload players he does not want as quickly as possible. None of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony feature in his plans.
Rashford wants to move to Barcelona, while Sancho has drawn interest from Italy after seeing his permanent move to Chelsea cancelled. The Blues paid a penalty to go back on their agreement with United.