Man Utd receive two loan offers for Antony with Premier League rival interested | Football

Manchester United have received two approaches from Benfica over a loan deal for Antony, according to reports in Portugal.

The Brazilian winger thrived during his loan spell with Real Betis in the second half of last season but the Spanish club have been unable to reach an agreement with United over a new deal.

United are looking to sell Antony, who was signed in a £82 million deal from Ajax in 2022, and are hoping that a club can secure a permanent move for the 25-year-old before the end of the transfer window.

According to CNN Portugal, Benfica have contacted United on two occasions ‘in recent days’ to discuss a loan deal for Antony.

The report claims that United are holding out for a €50m (£43.3m) transfer fee for the winger, while Benfica face competition as Brighton, Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig are also interested.

Antony is currently training separately from Ruben Amorim’s squad and was not included in their pre-season tour of the United States.

Antony scored nine goals during his loan spell with Real Betis and made it clear at the end of the season that staying with the Spanish club is his preference.

The winger also praised Betis’ head coach, Manuel Pellegrini, for helping him rediscover his form.

‘From the first conversation I had with him, he gave me incredible confidence, he made me feel very comfortable,’ Antony told TNT Sports Brazil.

‘And when I got here, the conversation we had was very positive. He told me: ‘I know your potential, you didn’t join the national team for nothing, you didn’t play in a World Cup for nothing, you know what a player you are, you’ve been through difficult times and you have your responsibilities, you have your part of the blame too’. But he made me feel very comfortable.

‘He always gave me a lot of confidence and he always told me: ‘I don’t want you to make 20 plays, I want you to make five, six with the aim of scoring, an assist, that will already help me a lot.

‘I took all that advice and Pellegrini is a coach that I’m very grateful to.’

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