Manchester United have reportedly received a surprise £64 million offer for one of their players in what would be a huge cash boost.
United are set to have a mass squad overhaul in the summer transfer window but the club need to sell players in order to raise funds for reinforcements.
Marcus Rashford is set to be offloaded after a return to form with Aston Villa, while the futures of academy products Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho are also up in the air.
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But according to a new report, United have already been presented with a bid for winger Antony, who has also found his feet in new surroundings at Real Betis.
The Brazilian signed for United for a whopping ££86 million from Ajax back in 2022 but struggled in his second spell playing under Erik ten Hag and scored just five goals in the Premier League.
Ruben Amorim was not convinced and Antony was loaned out to Real Betis in the January transfer window. But the 25-year-old has been a revelation in Spain, with four goals and four assists in his first 12 games for the Andalusian outfit, managed by former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini.
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His stock is on the rise and it is good news for United, who will now look to command a higher fee for the winger.
£40 million was mentioned as a possible figure but according to Fichajes, Atletico Madrid want to keep Antony in La Liga and are prepared to pay £64 million for his services.
Los Rojiblancos are said to be leading the race to sign Antony and are willing to pay £38 million up front, with a further £26 million due in variables.
Antony still has a contract with United until 2027 but his first-team future at Old Trafford looks bleak.
Amorim's comments on Antony led to response from agent
After an impressive upturn in form from Antony, Amorim was asked about why he was unable to produce those kind of performances in a United shirt.
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And the Portuguese manager claimed that "physicality" is a key factor as to why he was able to do the business in Spanish football.
"When you play against any team in England, the physicality is there. If you don’t have physicality, you will struggle a lot," Amorim explained last month.
"Antony is so much better now in Spain. It’s [because of] a lot of factors but I guarantee you it’s physicality."
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However the comments did not go down well with Antony's agent Junior Pedroso, who issued a response to Amorim and pointed out that he did not get many opportunities to impress under his management.
"To attribute Antony's lack of success at Manchester United solely to a physical issue is a very superficial argument and out of touch with reality," he told Spanish publication Marca.
"Antony did not have enough prominence or the confidence needed to show his best football.
"Of the 15 games that Amorim managed at Manchester United, Antony only played in nine, with a total of 252 minutes played. This represents only 18.6% of the total possible minutes (1,350 minutes).
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"How can you judge a player without a minimum sequence that demonstrates his worth?"
Topics: Manchester United, Antony, Ruben Amorim
Josh Lawless