Manchester United are prepared to sell defender Eric Bailly in the summer transfer window, as per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.
The 29-year-old centre-back joined Marseille last summer on loan from United. The French club can sign him permanently as a part of the deal but Romano claims that they will not trigger the option.
The 6 ft 2 defender will return to Old Trafford in the summer but the Red Devils are not looking to keep him at the club either. Bailly has a contract until 2024, and Romano says that he has “been told” that the former Villarreal defender is available on the market, and United are willing to cash in on him.
Understand Olympique Marseille will not trigger the buy option to sign Eric Bailly on permanent deal — he will return to Manchester United. 🚨🔴 #MUFC
Been told Bailly will be available on the market as Man United are prepared to let him go. pic.twitter.com/36a6dj7pzq
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 18, 2023
Summer exodus
Bailly joined United in 2016 from Villarreal for a fee of around £30m, signed by Jose Mourinho.
Despite his vast potential, Bailly has failed to become a key player under any Man United manager. His time at United has been blighted by injuries, and apart from the 2016-17 season, he never managed a minimum of 25 appearances in the last five seasons at the club.
He experienced a nightmare spell from 2018-2021 where he hardly played due to a series of injuries. A few years back, he was looking for a move away from the club to reignite his career but later changed his decision to sign a new three-year deal instead.
The Ivory Coast defender has made 19 appearances for Marseille this season, and it seems the French club are not too impressed with his contributions as they don’t want to make the deal permanent.
Man United could be looking to revamp their defensive set up in the summer transfer window. There are suggestions that the likes of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof could be sold by ten Hag to fund moves for new arrivals, and it looks like Bailly will be heading for the exit door as well.
The club is heading in the right direction under Ten Hag and quality additions are needed at the back. Bailly came to Old Trafford with a lot of promise but he has proved to be a major flop at the club. It’s high time to let him go.
Read more: Romano shares update on Man Utd’s pursuit of £22m player.
