Manchester United sells Antony for £25 million, player waives compensation! Sancho loaned to Villa while United still pays wages

On the closing day of the summer transfer window, September 1st, Manchester United, Real Betis, and Antony ultimately agreed on a €25 million (£21.6 million) transfer. The 25-year-old Brazilian winger will undergo a medical in Seville before signing, with the club holding a non-EU player spot and his previous number 7 shirt.

According to Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Antony’s transfer fee is €22 million guaranteed, plus €3 million in add-ons, along with a 50% sell-on clause. This deal reflects compromises from all three parties: Betis initially wanted a loan-to-buy deal, United aimed for a £40 million fee, and Antony sought £6 million in wage compensation, but all sides eventually conceded.

As early as last Friday, Manchester United had reached a principle agreement with Betis on Antony’s transfer fee, agreeing on his return to La Liga, with the player already preparing to travel for his medical. However, new disagreements emerged in recent days over the potential multi-million pound wage cut Antony would face after the move, causing the deal to nearly collapse.

Antony still has two years left on his Manchester United contract, with a base annual salary of £6 million. The winger has been trying to get both clubs to find a way to cover the €4 million income gap caused by his wage reduction after the transfer.

Now, Antony has given up part of his benefits and agreed to a direct wage cut for the transfer, meaning neither Manchester United nor Betis need to pay him any compensation. After falling out of favor at United, Antony performed well during his loan at Betis, scoring 9 goals and providing 5 assists in 26 matches, helping Manuel Pellegrini’s team qualify for the Europa Conference League and reach the final.

Now, Antony can return to Betis where he enjoys playing football; Manchester United gains a transfer fee and eliminates his £200,000 weekly wage; Betis signs the player they want within their financial means, creating a win-win-win situation for all three parties.

Of course, financially Manchester United takes a heavy loss on the transfer fee difference. Antony joined United in August 2022 just before the deadline under Ten Hag for a total of €100 million. Now, they only recoup €25 million, meaning that to fully recover the loss, Antony’s next transfer would need a profit of €150 million, equating to a transfer fee of €175 million!

Shortly after completing Antony’s deal, Manchester United achieved progress in another negotiation, loaning 25-year-old English winger Jadon Sancho to Aston Villa for this season. Romano reported that Villa will cover part of Sancho’s £250,000 weekly wage, similar to how Rashford’s wages were shared in the latter half of last season. United preferred a permanent sale, but Sancho rejected Roma’s offer, so the club settled for a loan to minimize wage losses.

Sancho’s contract with Manchester United expires at the end of this season, but if Villa wishes to make the deal permanent after the loan, United holds an option to extend his contract through June 2027, which can be activated in January next year.

With this, Manchester United has cleared out four of the “five unwanted” players in the dressing room disliked by Amrabat: Rashford, Garnacho, Antony, and Sancho. The only remaining player is the overlooked left-back Tyrell Malacia, who at 26 is expected to be loaned to newly promoted La Liga side Elche. Along with the loan fee from Hojlund’s move to Napoli, the club has earned €76 million in transfer income this summer.