Manchester United are reportedly on the verge of signing Villarreal defender Eric Bailly.
According to Spanish newspaper AS, Villarreal defender Eric Bailly is on the verge of a €40m (£31.3m) deal to join Manchester United this summer.
New manager Jose Mourinho will be looking to add some new faces to his squad this summer, and whilst a deal for Zlatan Ibrahimovic appears to be moving closer, bringing in another centre back is a must for the new Red Devils boss – and Bailly seems to be the man.
Bailly, 22, was born in the Ivory Coast but joined Espanyol at the age of just 17, making his first-team debut in October 2014 – but after just five appearances, Bailly was snapped up by La Liga rivals Villarreal.
Since then, the Ivorian international has impressed with his athletic abilities in defence, possessing superb speed and strength to become a key player for Villarreal, making 34 appearances in all competitions this past season.
Now, he appears to have caught the eye of Mourinho, with AS reporting that a €40m (£31.3m) deal has been agreed to take Bailly to Old Trafford, but not quite how it was expected.
United could have paid his €40m release clause, but are instead paying in instalments and add-ons, which could actually see the deal be worth more than €40m.
It’s claimed that Bailly will now negotiate his contract with United, as he closes in on becoming one of Mourinho’s first signings at Old Trafford – and having worked with Raphael Varane and Kurt Zouma at Real Madrid and Chelsea respectively, adding an athletically gifted centre back like Bailly makes sense for Mourinho.
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