Antony offered Man United escape route - on one condition

As reported in this week's talkSPORT Transfer Notebook, Betis are keen on bringing the Brazilian forward to LaLiga.

It is now understood the Spanish club have stepped up their pursuit and are actively trying to get a deal done for the ex-Ajax man - but will only consider a deal if United agree to pay more than half of his wages.

Antony's contract at Old Trafford, which expires in 2027, currently earns him a reported £200,000 per week.

That salary places him within the club's top five earners - a point of annoyance for fans who have continued to criticise his performances since his August 2022 arrival.

He followed Erik ten Hag from Ajax to the Red Devils for £86million and got off to a great start, scoring the winner against Arsenal at Old Trafford.

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Since then he has failed to prove anywhere near value for money and was once again a point of frustration for fans against Southampton on Thursday, as he missed a glorious close range opportunity to draw Ruben Amorim's side level.

Luckily for United, Amad Diallo bailed his team out from a potentially embarrassing defeat to the 20th place Saints with a late hat-trick, one that ranks as the 11th fastest in Premier League history.

This season Antony has only played 401 minutes, with his most game time coming in the Carabao Cup.

The 24-year-old is yet to start a league match this season and is not Amorim's desired choice of wing-backs or narrow forwards.

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The Portuguese head coach claimed Antony can play wing-back and 'did a great job improving in that position', but did challenge him by insisting he 'has to defend more'.

Despite those words of encouragement in December, he is yet to highly impress Amorim.

And with Antony taking up space on their profit and sustainability regulations ledger, Man United are aiming to shift him and others off their wage bill.

"Football clubs see players as commodities to be traded," football finance expert Kieran Maguire told The Athletic.

"The way to view wages is like running costs. For an underperforming player on big wages, the running costs are considered prohibitively high. Whether it's a £15m or £18m yearly salary, that'll make up a significant part of a club's costs.

"For Manchester United, who have a payroll in the region of £330m, that probably works out to about four per cent of the total. They could spread that over two or three other players, and if a player is in poor form, spreading the cost will be seen as better value."

Loaning players out is a good short-term solution while having the possibility of turning it long-term with an obligation to buy.

It's a blueprint Man United have followed with Jadon Sancho, who is still reportedly being paid £150,000 of his £250,000-per-week wages by his parent club despite currently playing on loan at Chelsea.

Sancho was sent back on loan to former club Borussia Dortmund last season after falling out with Ten Hag, which included potential performance based bonuses.

They then allowed Sancho to join Chelsea this campaign, with an obligation to buy next summer for a fee ranging around £25m.

This January transfer window it seems that Man United will explore the loan market once again, with Marcus Rashford possibly exiting the club to go abroad.

And it appears highly likely Antony could join him with Betis keen to move ahead, with the player having already rejected the chance to join Greek side Olympiacos.