Barcelona reportedly considered moving for Antony over the summer before deciding to sign Raphinha.
The Catalan outfit acquired Raphinha from Leeds United in a £55m deal during the recent market, and the 25-year-old has been a regular for his new club this term, making five appearances, scoring one goal and providing one assist.
Antony, meanwhile, moved to Manchester United from Ajax on transfer deadline day, with the 20-time English champions paying in the region of £85.5m for his signature.
The 22-year-old scored on his debut for the Red Devils against Arsenal in the Premier League, while he also featured in last week's 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad in the Europa League.
According to Sport, Barcelona had a serious look at Antony during the summer market but eventually decided that Raphinha would be a more suitable signing for the club.
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The report claims that senior figures at the Catalan outfit are huge admirers of Antony but believed that Raphinha would be a better signing due to his maturity and understanding of the game.
Having been coached by Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds and Tite for Brazil, Barcelona allegedly thought that Raphinha's teamwork and defensive capabilities would make him a better signing than Antony.
According to the publication, the La Liga outfit felt that the former Ajax attacker mainly relies on 'one-on-one situations' and has the tendency to 'disconnect himself from the rest of the team's attack'.
Raphinha was also allegedly seen as the more realistic option due to his price tag, which ended up being in the region of £30m lower than Antony's.
Antony found it difficult to impress in his European debut for Man United against Real Sociedad but was a key contributor to the team's 3-1 success over Arsenal last time out in the Premier League.
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Antony has already showcased his skills and tricks, which have become a key part of his game, with the Brazilian revealing that he will always look to provide entertainment.
"I've always done this. Not just here but for all the teams I've played for. I've been doing it ever since I was a child. I've always done it - it's one of my characteristics," he told Man United's official media. "I am adapting and getting used to things here already. Entertaining is something I've always liked and I'll continue doing it."
Meanwhile, following his debut goal against Arsenal, Man United boss Erik ten Hag called Antony "the missing link" for his side.
"We can make speed and creativity together, he will be a threat in the Premier League. We were missing a player on the right wing, [Jadon] Sancho and [Marcus] Rashford can play there but they prefer the left so now we have the missing link who can play well on the right," Ten Hag told Sky Sports News.
"He did well but I think he can do better, he had a great goal but all the goals were team goals."
Antony scored 24 goals and registered 22 assists in 82 appearances for Ajax before completing his big-money move to Old Trafford.
