Manchester United have received a blow in their desire to offload Antony, though there is fresh interest in another expensive flop, according to reports.
Antony has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in recent days after a fruitful six-month loan at Real Betis.
The Brazilian winger joined United from Ajax for around £85million in August 2022 and has failed to live up to the hefty price tag. However, his form during the second half of last season has raised the player’s value ahead of a summer sale.
Betis want to keep Antony but are struggling to match the 25-year-old’s wage demands. He currently earns £105,000 a week at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils have so far failed in their attempts to shift all of their unwanted high earners, with the exception of new Barcelona loan signing Marcus Rashford.
Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Antony are all surplus to requirements, with Ruben Amorim eager to move them on and reinvest in new signings.
The club have signed Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha for a combined £127.5m but Amorim wants a new centre-forward, and potentially a midfielder and goalkeeper — though the latter is contingent on Andre Onana leaving.
It was reported by Foot Mercato on Monday that Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr — captained by United legend Cristiano Ronaldo — have made an opening offer for Antony.
Meanwhile, a fresh report from Antenados states that Antony has ‘rejected’ offers from Brazilian clubs Sao Paulo and Botafogo.
Indeed, the former Ajax forward has ‘ruled out’ a return to his homeland in the summer transfer window.
It’s confirmed that Antony ‘is not in United’s plans next season’ but Sao Paulo ‘demonstrating interest’ will not sway him, with the Serie A side receiving a ‘negative result’.
It’s added that clubs in the Middle East are interested but there’s no mention of the aforementioned Al Nassr ‘offer’.
Another player who could leave United this summer is Rasmus Hojlund, who is not a part of Amorim’s bomb squad alongside Antony, Sancho, Garnacho and Tyrell Malacia.
Hojlund joined the Premier League giants from Atalanta in the 2023 summer window and has been strongly linked with a return to the Italian Serie A in recent months.
According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Hojlund’s former Atalanta head coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, is keen on reuniting at AS Roma, who the veteran boss took charge of at the end of 2024/25.
The report claims that Artem Dovbyk’s uncertain future could open the door for the arrival of the 22-year-old Danish international.
Calciomercato states:
In the event of a Dovbyk transfer, Roma would attempt to bring Rasmus Hojlund back to Italy. The 2003-born Danish striker has a contract with Manchester United until June 2028 (plus an option for another season) worth €3 million net per year.
His name had also been linked on the market with other Italian clubs such as Inter (before the explosion of Pio Esposito, the arrival of Bonny from Parma and the negotiations for Lookman from Atalanta), Napoli (before the arrival of Lucca from Udinese), Juventus (as an alternative to Kolo Muani and Darwin Nunez) and Milan (as an alternative to Vlahovic).
Hojlund has only scored 26 goals in 95 matches for United, while Antony has only recorded 17 goal involvements in 96 appearances.