Antony has rejected a third offer to leave Manchester United as he holds out for a move to Real Betis.
The Brazilian forward enjoyed a much-needed revival at Betis after being loaned out by United in January.
Manchester United spent £82m to sign Antony from Ajax in 2022 but are trying to sell him just three years later.
The 25-year-old regarded as one of the biggest transfer flops in Premier League history, scored five league goals across his first two seasons at Old Trafford.
Given his recent struggles, United fans were surprised to see Antony thrive at Real Betis, where he scored nine goals and helped Manuel Pellegrini’s side reach the Conference League final.
Get personalised updates on Manchester United every day
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you.
Pellegrini has instructed Betis to bring Antony back to the club on a permanent transfer but the deal is not straightforward given the numbers involved.
Manchester United want around £30m for Antony and the Brazil international is on a huge salary worth more than £4m-a-year.
Despite the difficulty in signing Antony, Real Betis are expected to approach United with a new offer in the coming days.
Spanish outlet Sport say Antony is desperate to return to Sevilla and is ‘unwilling’ to join any club other than Betis.
As a result Antony is ‘refusing to listen’ to a lucrative transfer approach from the Saudi Pro League and has instead indicated he will take a pay-cut to return to Real Betis.
Manchester United’s summer ‘bomb squad’ and their most likely destinations
Antony, Real Betis
Jadon Sancho, Juventus
Alejandro Garnacho, Chelsea
Tyrell Malacia, Saudi Arabia
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr have expressed interest in signing Antony but the winger has his heart set on Betis.
According to reports, Antony has already rejected approaches from Brazilian clubs Botafogo and Sao Paulo as he wants to remain in Europe.
Given his desire to sign for Betis, Antony is prepared to wait until the last couple of weeks of the transfer window when he hopes the La Liga side will reach an agreement with Manchester United.
Antony is one of a number of players Ruben Amorim is hoping to offload before the summer transfer deadline.
The Red Devils, who have signed Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo this summer, have also put Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho up for sale.
The sales of several unwanted players would not only trim Amorim’s squadbut increase the club’s transfer kitty as they consider a bid for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko.
Manchester United, who start the new season on August 17 against Arsenal, are also interested in signing a new goalkeeper to compete with Andre Onana.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.