Manchester United have got precisely what they wanted from Antony’s move to Real Betis despite the La Liga side’s bizarre statement last week.
Antony has finally secured his dream move away from Manchester United and back to Real Betis after months of negotiations between the two clubs.
The 25-year-old left United for Betis on loan for the second half of last season and played miraculously well, scoring nine goals and providing five assists in 26 appearances before returning to United.
After a summer transfer window full of offers well below United’s asking price, the two clubs reached an agreement on an overall package of £21.7 million, with just over £19 million of this to be paid up front.
The transfer also sees United retain a 50% sell-on clause for the player, similar to the club’s agreement with Marseille for Mason Greenwood.
Betis released bizarre statement before final agreement
While the deal has finally been completed, with Anthony to travel to Spain to undergo his medical on deadline day, Friday evening almost saw the deal collapse entirely.
United accepted a £25m package for Antony in the early evening, which included a 50% sell-on clause, and permitted him to travel to finalise the terms. However, Betis then pulled out of the deal, citing the overall cost as being too high despite their bid being accepted.
Betis then issued a statement claiming that they had withdrawn their bid because they could not afford to pay the amounts needed to terminate Antony’s contract at Old Trafford, despite submitting the bid just hours before.
“There is no agreement, and we have withdrawn the transfer offer because Real Betis can’t afford the transfer fee and the amounts that Manchester United must [instead] pay the player before the transfer,” they claimed.
Antony has given United what they wanted
With United needing to raise as much as possible from sales in the final days of the window, an agreement has been reached, which will not require United to pay any transfer fee for the deal to finally go through.
According to Sky Sports, United will not be forking out any form of termination payment to Antony to void his contract as he completes his move to Real Betis.
While not explicitly stated, it appears that Antony’s decision to forgo a termination payment has been the defining factor that led to the eventual agreement.
It’s also interesting to note that Betis’ agreement has gone from a £25 million package to £21.7 million, but United may view this as acceptable, as they are set to receive £19 million up front.
Ultimately, United have secured what they wanted, with Antony’s decision to forgo any termination payment, handing the club exactly what they set out to achieve: a permanent move for the winger away from Old Trafford.
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