Tyrell Malacia, who joined Manchester United for £15 million in 2022, was on the verge of securing a loan move to Benfica for the remainder of the season.
However, according to the Daily Mail, the transfer has collapsed, even though Malacia had already said his goodbyes to his United teammates.
Benfica had shown strong interest in signing the Dutch defender but failed to reach an agreement with the Premier League club regarding the loan fee and a potential purchase option.
United’s manager, Ruben Amorim, had approved Malacia’s departure, as the 25-year-old had received limited playing time since Amorim took over from Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
Before Benfica emerged as the frontrunner, Malacia had also been linked with a move to Real Betis, the same club that recently signed Antony.
With Benfica’s deal now off, Betis have renewed hope of securing Malacia’s services. The left-back has also been associated with a potential transfer to Celtic.
Celtic were initially focused on re-signing Kieran Tierney from Arsenal, but reports suggest the Gunners are unwilling to let the Scotland international leave before the summer.
Since his £15 million transfer from Feyenoord, Malacia has made just 47 appearances for Manchester United, with injuries hampering his time at the club.
He featured in 39 matches during his debut season under Ten Hag but did not play at all last year and has managed only three league appearances this season.
Earlier this month, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand named Malacia as one of three players the club should offload before the transfer window closes.
When asked about the future of Marcus Rashford, Antony and Malacia, Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel: ‘I think Antony is going. Someone told me he was going to Real Betis or somewhere like that.
‘Get them out man! Sorry, I’m just being honest. The more those guys are around… there’s just bad noise.
‘They all want to go, they’re all happy to go, so get them out and start afresh. If there’s players around who are unsettled and not happy and it’s not going to plan, it’s like a cancerous, bad energy and it spreads around the changing room.
‘It makes things morbid and depressing. It would have been alright if the team was flying because those players just get left behind, but it’s especially bad when you’re not winning.’
Malacia was highly rated in Holland but is not suited to Amorim’s 3-4-3 system and is keen to secure a move before the transfer window shuts on Monday.
