Recently, there has been increasing speculation surrounding Manchester United forward Anthony’s future. The Brazilian international, who joined the Red Devils in 2022 for a fee close to €100 million, has failed to live up to expectations since his arrival. Now, his future at Old Trafford appears increasingly uncertain.
According to Spanish media outlet AS, La Liga side Real Betis are actively raising funds in an effort to bring Anthony to Spain. Despite their current financial constraints, Betis are willing to sell other players and restructure their wage bill to secure the necessary funds, all in the hope of securing Anthony’s signature.
Anthony was loaned to Betis by Manchester United last season, where he performed exceptionally well, forming a strong partnership with head coach Manuel Pellegrini and key player Isco. As a result, Betis are keen to bring him back to the club.
However, Anthony is currently representing the Brazilian national team in international competitions. Newly appointed Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti has included him in this month’s squad. On the training ground, Anthony was seen having a pleasant conversation with Kuna, who is set to join Manchester United for 62.5 million pounds. However, the two may not become teammates at Manchester United, as the club has decided to sell Anthony.
Manchester United has priced Anthony at 50 million euros, but it is reported that this figure is negotiable. Sources suggest the final transfer fee could be below 40 million euros. After all, Anthony currently earns a weekly salary of 200,000 pounds, which is a significant financial burden for any buyer. However, if he does join Betis, he is willing to accept a pay cut.
Betis have stated that they are willing to “fight to the end” to sign Anthony. The club is carefully calculating various financial figures and preparing a reasonable offer for Manchester United. One possible option is for Betis to pay an initial fee to acquire a portion of Anthony’s ownership rights, enter into a loan agreement, and retain the option to buy him outright in 2026.
Besides Betis, there are other clubs keeping an eye on Anthony’s situation. For example, Bayer Leverkusen, the Bundesliga team managed by former Manchester United manager Ten Hag, has been linked with interest in him. However, this seems more like media speculation. During Ten Hag’s time at Manchester United, he rarely used Anthony, and their relationship was not good.
Since Ten Hag left Manchester United, Bayer Leverkusen has indeed contacted some Manchester United players, including Ganacho and Hoilund, but the likelihood of these transfers is low. Especially in the case of Anthony, Ten Hag and his agent have publicly stated that bringing him in was not the coach’s decision but rather a decision made by Manchester United’s club management.
It is worth noting that Ten Hag’s agency, SEG Football, has long been criticized by Manchester United fans. Especially when Hojlund moved from Atalanta to Manchester United for 72 million pounds, he switched agents and joined SEG, which further fueled speculation about a potential conflict of interest between the agency and Manchester United.
Ten Hag prefers to sign players he is familiar with, but SEG’s actions have led many to believe they are influencing transfer decisions. Anthony’s transfer is one of the most prominent examples. A recently published book mentions that Ten Hag actually opposed signing Anthony at such a high price.
The author of the book interviewed SEG’s founder, Keith Voss. Voss stated that both Ten Hag and himself opposed the deal at the time, believing Anthony was not worth that much. However, Manchester United’s management pushed ahead with the negotiations, primarily because they feared Arsenal might also make a move for Anthony.
In the end, Manchester United spent nearly €100 million to sign Anthony. But since then, Ten Hag has been paying the price for this deal because he has never found a way to get Anthony to perform to his full potential.
Can Anthony really live up to his price tag? No one can say for sure. But judging from the fact that neither Manchester United nor Ten Hag are willing to admit responsibility, this transfer was clearly a failed operation.
Manchester United’s senior management bears an undeniable responsibility for the high price paid for Anthony.
That said, at the time, Ten Hag, as head coach, had the final say on transfers. If he had really opposed the deal, Anthony would not have come to Manchester United. So, at least on the surface, he did not completely reject the transfer.
As early as 2023, Ten Hag said in an interview: “I am a warrior, and Anthony is also a warrior. He is very confident and brave. I believe he will perform better, and he is the right player for us.”
This statement now seems somewhat ironic. After all, Anthony’s performance has not met everyone’s expectations. But is he really unable to adapt to the Premier League or Manchester United’s system? Or does he simply need more time?
Regardless, Anthony’s departure is now all but confirmed. As for where he will end up and whether Betis will get their wish, we’ll have to wait and see how things unfold over the next few weeks. If they can sign Anthony at a lower price, it could turn out to be a win-win deal.
In any case, Anthony’s transfer saga is far from over, and we’ll have to wait and see how it unfolds.
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