Eric Bailly is very much a defender in demand at the moment. He enjoyed a brilliant pre-season with Manchester United and that has helped him attract a lot of potential suitors.
After Erik ten Hag decided to bring Lisandro Martinez to the club, the Ivorian has essentially been relegated to fifth-choice centre back at the club.
It was previously reported that Roma were very close to announcing the signing of the Ivory Coast international. Not only Roma, but also Sevilla were said to be interested in the past. But now another team seems to have edged ahead in that race.
According to L’Equipe, the United defender is a target for Ligue 1 side Monaco. The French club are in need of defensive reinforcements and have earmarked Bailly as the perfect candidate.
After qualifying for the Champions League, Monaco are revamping their backline to contend with national and continental challenges. They are on the cusp of acquiring Chelsea defender Malang Sarr.
🚨 Monaco want to sign Eric Bailly on a loan deal from Manchester United.
(Source: @GFFN)
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) August 8, 2022
Sarr is set to join on a loan deal with an option to buy set at £12.6million. Monaco are interested in a similar sort of deal for the United defender.
United want permanent departure
The Red Devils are unlikely to accept such a deal as they would like to sell Bailly permanently. They have already rebuffed multiple such temporary approaches.
The English giants want to raise funds to help Ten Hag strengthen the squad further this summer and selling the 28-year-old would add a good amount to the coffers.
Jose Mourinho also wanted to complete a similar deal for Bailly. It was Mourinho who had brought the former Villareal defender to Old Trafford for a reported fee of £30 million.
Despite a successful debut season, a combination of injuries and suspensions have prevented Bailly from reaching the same heights in following campaigns.
Last season he played only seven times while in his six-year spell, the Espanyol academy graduate has only managed to amass a total of 113 appearances.
While fans rate Bailly highly, it is difficult to envisage the centre-back making any real impact under Ten Hag. A permanent deal away from United would suit both parties in the long run and would help strengthen the Dutch manager’s transfer kitty.
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