Antony will have plenty of suitors this summer after his excellent loan spell with Real Betis, which has seen him become a cult hero.
Since leaving Manchester United on loan, it has been nothing but positives for Antony as he has spearheaded the La Liga side’s run to the Conference League final.
Ineos sent him on loan with the goal of the Brazilian building his value back up after two seasons of struggles at Old Trafford.
This worked out perfectly, with Antony labelling his Betis loan as the best decision he ever made, as he has gone from an unwanted spare part for the Red Devils to the key player in Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
On Thursday, he was in the spotlight once again as Antony scored an incredible free-kick past David de Gea from far out, which was his second over the two legs.
This goal put Betis into the final against Chelsea, and gave the Spanish side even more reasons to dream of signing Antony permanently. Interestingly, if Betis win their final and United win the Europa League, then Antony could be making history as a double European champion.
However, his form has effectively priced himself out of a transfer to Betis, where he is loving life.
Real Betis urged to crowdfund to purchase Antony from Manchester United
Antony is a hero for Betis right now, with incredible performances piling up, and due to this, extreme measures are being discussed to ensure his future is in Seville for Betis.
From Betis legend Joaquin admitting he would “kidnap” the Brazilian to a more reasonable Isco being willing to crowdfund a move for Antony. This idea is something Betis journalist and club trustee, Carlos Herrera, has now suggested the club should organise.
“You have to kidnap him. Antony’s problem is that the owner doesn’t want to sell him, and you can only convince him if you put a lot of cash on the table.
“And to raise the money, we make a public subscription… and if necessary, we do it .”
Given his brilliant form, United have now set Antony’s price tag at a hefty £42m, which is likely more than double what he was worth in January.
There is also no shortage of suitors with both Atletico Madrid and Arsenal recently rumoured to be interested in Antony, which will be welcomed by United, with funds needed to rebuild.
Martin Keown lauds Antony’s form for Real Betis
Since arriving in Spain, Antony has been rivalling Vinicius Jr, which has unsurprisingly made him the talk of the town for Betis and by showcasing his talent in Europe, it’s became widely discussed.
Speaking after Antony’s semi-final performance, Martin Keown was praising the Brazilian.
“I mean, he’s transformed his career in a moment, hasn’t he. The goals he scores, he got two in this tie to put them through. The free-kick is really class, he’s the top man there. To have the confidence to do that and execute it, I mean all the way it’s in.”
Continuing, he then added that he thinks Antony can also impress against Chelsea, which would be the biggest performance yet, against Premier League opposition.
“It will be interesting to see whether Antony can actually pop up again. I think he will; he’ll be trying to make a name for himself.”
If Antony tears Chelsea apart, perhaps United will even think again about selling him this summer.
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