Antony opens up on shock transfer offer before Man Utd exit - 'It really affected me' - The Mirror

Manchester United sold Antony to Real Betis for less than a quarter of the £86million which they paid Ajax to sign him in 2023, but he could've moved to a fellow European giant

Antony has revealed that Bayern Munich wanted to sign him from Manchester United this summer - but he rejected them. The Brazilian says that he even received a phone call from Bayern manager Vincent Kompany on transfer deadline day, but his heart was set on another club.

After being put in a five-man bomb squad at United, Antony was the subject of offers from Europe and Saudi Arabia. But having enjoyed a superb half-season loan spell with Real Betis last term, the winger held out for a return to Seville.

Antony, 25, eventually got his way with just hours to go the window slammed shut, as the Red Devils and Betis agreed a deal worth up to €25million (£21.7m). But the former Ajax star, who United paid a jaw-dropping £86m for in August 2022, claims to have had a late opportunity to sign for German giants Bayern, despite flopping in the Premier League.

"Dude, I'm going to be completely honest with you right now, it really shook me up," Antony told Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte when asked about the Bundesliga champions' interest. "We\re talking about a global giant, Bayern Munich, where there is a coach with that kind of history.

"Vincent Kompany called me and we had a conversation. He was super polite to me, said he always really liked my football, and this was at 11pm (on deadline day), a little after 11pm."

However, the 16-time Brazil international says that he put his family first and turned down the move to Munich. "Whether I wanted to or not, it really affected me because of the greatness of the club, the greatness of the coach and the way he approached me, the way he talked to me," Antony continued.

"But what weighed heavily on my decision was that I'm a family, man. It's about looking out for my children. Lorenzo (his son) loves this place, loves this city (Seville). When we were on vacation in Brazil, without knowing anything, he always asked, 'Dad, when are we going back to Spain?'"

Reflecting on his departure from United, there's no bad blood for the 25-year-old, who's happy playing his football in La Liga. "I don't hold any grudges, I'm not angry at anyone there," Antony affirmed.

Should Antony have joined Bayern Munich? Have your say in the comments section.

"This serves as a great learning experience for me to know how to fight with the right weapons and with wisdom when faced with certain situations because that's part of life, it's part of the process.

'I'm also very grateful to Manchester United because I didn't only experience bad moments, but I also had some good moments there, with people I met who were also great. Now I'm here at Betis, Manchester was a very good experience and I'm very happy to be here at Betis."

Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.