Manchester United ready to sell Eric Bailly “almost free of charge” as Real Betis show interest – Man United News And Transfer News

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A new report from Spain claims that Manchester United are ready to cut their losses with Eric Bailly after another frustrating loan spell at Olympique Marseille failed to improve his prospects at the club.

Spanish outlet ABC reports that United are willing to let Bailly go “almost free of charge”.

The news doesn’t come as a surprise as the injury-prone centre-back wasn’t able to get going at Marseille on loan last season. He missed 77 days through injury as he played just 859 minutes of football across all competitions.

The French club had an option of making the move permanent for a fee in the region of £6 million but chose not to.

The Peoples Person recently reported that Real Betis have shown an interest in the defender as Victor Ruiz’s departure from the club is certain.

Now, with just 12 months left on his contract at United, Bailly can be written off as a lost cause.

Getting his reported £80,000/week wages off the books is now United’s priority as they are braced for a huge financial hit on their £30 million investment made back in 2016.

Bailly was the first signing of Jose Mourinho‘s era at the club. After impressing initially, and even later in spurts, the injury bug struck him.

He was then trapped in a vicious cycle where every time he tried to come back, another injury held him back. Mourinho’s successor, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, then bought Harry Maguire and the Ivorian CB fell further down the pecking order.

Now Ten Hag, armed with elite options in defence in Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, and Victor Lindelof, and further reinforcements in the pipeline, Bailly is deemed dispensable.

Both sides could do with a fresh start. United need to sort out their wage structure and Bailly’s wage is an albatross around the neck.

At the same time, even the Ivorian needs to feel settled somewhere after irregular playing time and loans.

La Liga should be an ideal league for him as it is where he made his name when he broke through at Villarreal, prompting Mourinho to sign him.