Antony Reveals Liverpool Bid and Salah Succession Plan
Antony’s Manchester United story has long been framed around one question: was he ever really worth £82 million? Now the Brazilian has added a twist of his own – he says he could have walked into Anfield as Mohamed Salah’s potential heir instead.
Speaking to ESPN Brazil, the former United winger revealed that Liverpool, and specifically Jurgen Klopp, put a concrete offer on the table in 2022 while he was still at Ajax. At the time, Salah’s future hung in the balance as contract talks dragged on, and Liverpool began to scan the market for an insurance policy.
“When I went to Manchester United, I had a proposal from Liverpool, from Klopp, on the table,” Antony said. “It was also very good. Salah was negotiating a departure, but he ended up staying. Then the manager called me. The name of Manchester United carries weight.”
That call – from Erik ten Hag, the coach who had shaped him at Ajax – proved decisive. United pushed the deal over the line for around £82m, a fee that instantly made Antony one of the most scrutinised signings in the club’s modern era.
Liverpool, meanwhile, kept their superstar. Salah stayed, signed his new contract and carried on as the heartbeat of Klopp’s forward line. The Egyptian remained on Merseyside for four more years, adding another Premier League title and padding out a remarkable legacy: 257 goals in 442 games across all competitions, the numbers of a modern great.
This season told a slightly different story. Twelve goals in 41 appearances underlined a dip from his peak output, but the scale of his contribution over the decade gives context to why Liverpool were so desperate to protect themselves back in 2022 – and why being lined up as his possible successor was no small compliment for Antony.
The Brazilian’s path took a harsher turn. United never saw the version of Antony that Real Betis are enjoying now. In Spain, he has pieced his reputation back together with 14 goals and 10 assists in 46 games across all competitions, one of the most productive campaigns of his career.
At Old Trafford, he never escaped the shadow of that fee. The end came last summer, when he left on a permanent deal, and only now is he lifting the lid on how uncomfortable he felt inside the club.
“Look, I'm not the kind of guy who gets involved in controversies, who names people, in fact, I won't mention anyone's name here,” he told ESPN Brazil. “But I think there was a bit of a lack of respect there, even a bit of rudeness too, with no one giving you a good morning, a good afternoon.
“Not even that. But, anyway, that's in the past, I won't give much importance to these things. Now I'm here, at Betis, I'm living here, that's the most important thing for me.”
The contrast is stark. At Betis, Antony looks liberated, decisive, dangerous again. At United, he looked like a player weighed down by expectation and, by his own account, starved of basic warmth behind the scenes.
His revelation about Liverpool’s interest throws a different light on that summer of 2022. One version of his career had him walking into a dressing room built around Salah, learning in the slipstream of one of the game’s most ruthless wide forwards. The other took him back under Ten Hag, to a club in flux, with all the pressure and noise that comes with the badge.
He chose Old Trafford. Liverpool stuck with Salah. Betis now reap the benefits.
The sliding doors have already swung. The question now is whether this Betis chapter becomes the real measure of Antony – the player Liverpool once saw as a possible Salah successor, and United never quite managed to unlock.
