The Verdiblanco club still has a non-EU player spot reserved for the Brazilian.
Betis continues to target Antony for this transfer window. Despite the difficulty of the deal, given Manchester United's demands so far, the Betis club has a free non-EU player spot reserved for the Brazilian, pending what may happen in the coming days. Betis's offer for a new loan for the Brazilian remains on the table for United, who also know that the player would welcome a return to Heliópolis.
Not even the emergence of Benfica, who took another step towards the Champions League this Wednesday by beating Nice (0-2), has altered Betis's plan. As reported by CNN Portugal, the Lisbon club has also approached United to inquire about Antony's terms. The response from England has been the same as the one offered to Betis a month ago, when the winger was valued at over €40 million.
From Portugal, it is reported that Benfica would also consider the possibility of signing Antony on loan or buying a percentage of his transfer fee. These options were also discussed at Heliópolis, but are subject to the extremely high salary that the Brazilian and his agents would like to guarantee in a future contract.
Faced with this situation, Betis remains calm, although the sporting directors are also keeping an eye on the market to consider alternative plans. The coaches' greatest desire remains to keep Antony for another season, but they are all aware of the difficulty, as the president himself, Ángel Haro, expressed in his last public appearance. The Heliopolis club would like the Brazilian to wear the green and white shirt for another season, but they are not going to spend more than expected.
While Benfica has been mentioned in Portugal as a new rival for Antony—the reports also mentioned Leverkusen or Brighton—Betis remains on track. Antony's happiness during his months as a Betis player is the trump card he's trying to close a deal that would mean the desired leap in quality for the 25-26 season.