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Real Betis CEO Ramón Alarcón has warned that if Manchester United don’t agree to sanction another loan deal for Antony, they will look elsewhere and explore alternative transfer targets.
Antony has enjoyed a dramatic uptick in form since leaving United and joining Betis on loan in January. He lost his spot under Erik ten Hag and was unable to break into Ruben Amorim’s plans at Old Trafford, hence he departed in search of regular first-team minutes.
The Brazilian has looked like a player reborn at Estadio Benito Villamarín, notching an impressive seven goals and four assists in 20 appearances across all competitions.
Betis unsurprisingly want to keep him beyond the end of the season, when his loan spell expires. United’s priority is to permanently offload Antony, as his sale would avail much-needed funds that could go a long way in helping Ruben Amorim land his primary targets.
However, Betis are more inclined to do a season-long loan arrangement. A recent report covered by The Peoples Person relayed that United are adamant they will not be bullied into selling Antony for cheap and if suitable offers do not arrive, they could loan him out again, in the hope that he will perform well and increase his market value.
It’s been mentioned that Manuel Pellegrini’s side are fearful that other suitors could swoop in, agree to United’s demands, and snatch Antony from their grasp.
Alarcón spoke to El Desmarque [via SportWitness] and opened up on Antony’s progress at the club. The Betis CEO insisted that they have taken good care of the United loanee, who is very happy in Spain.
The Los Verdiblancos chief said, “The good thing is that at Christmas we made a promise to Manchester [United]. If he comes to Betis, it’s a place where he’ll regain his value, which is what they wanted, because it’s through his play, and because it’s a place that adapts very well to the type of game Antony had.”
“That promise we made to Manchester, which we even put in writing, because we have penalties if the player doesn’t play, but we told them, he’s going to play with us. It’s been kept.”
“Manchester now knows, and the player knows, that he’s happy here and that he’s found his place here.”
Alarcón confirmed their desire to extend Antony’s loan spell but acknowledged that the final decision lies elsewhere. He also warned that if a new loan agreement cannot be reached, the club will be forced to drop plans to retain the winger.
“Obviously, if someone comes with a very high offer, he’s a great player for Manchester, and they have the final say. But we’ve always worked with respect. Every week, Manu Fajardo, who has done a spectacular job, has sent them the report from the player’s week of training, the tactical and physical report from the player’s match, and they’ve seen that we’ve taken very good care of their asset.”
“We also have to value the player’s commitment, as he has 20 days left with the team and is like one of the team members. We’ll see when summer arrives if there’s an option to bring him in for another year.”
“If not, we’ll have to look for someone else, because the important thing is really to be a team player. If it’s not Antony, it will be someone else, but we have to keep competing.”
Other clubs mentioned to be in for Antony are Real Sociedad, Atletico Madrid, Juventus and even Arsenal.
Featured image Fran Santiago via Getty Images
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