Man Utd to sell Rashford favourite after HUGE U-turn
Robin Bairner
- 25 Aug 2023 13:19 BST
- 4 min read
Manchester United are poised to sell Eric Bailly to Marseille after the Ligue 1 club performed a dramatic U-turn on their stance towards the centre-back.
Bailly spent last season on loan at Stade Velodrome but after failing to secure the faith of former head coach Igor Tudor OM did not take up the purchase option in his transfer agreement.
Tudor has since departed Marseille to be replaced with Marcelino, who worked with the Ivory Coast international star at Villarreal in the 2015/16 season.
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This has prompted a rethink from the French side, according to Sky Sports, and they could take advantage of the fact that Bailly only has a year left on his Man Utd deal to land the player for a relatively cheap sum.
Of course, this is perfect for Man Utd, who are seeking to create space in their squad to accommodate potential new arrival Jean-Clair Todibo from Nice.
Ideally, manager Erik ten Hag wants to offload Harry Maguire – and indeed a deal for the England man may be required to facilitate a transfer for Todibo – but Bailly is not in his plans for the forthcoming season and any revenue from his sale would be welcome. Fulham have also been said to hold an interest in the player.
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Bailly’s Rashford bond
One man who may not be so happy to see Bailly leaving on a permanent basis is attacker Marcus Rashford, who admitted last season that he was missing having the 29-year-old around the club.
Marseille are not said to have made a permanent bid for the defender yet, but it is expected that they will put in an offer in the days to come. They have until 1 September to beat the transfer deadline.
Bailly is thought to be open to a transfer to Marseille, with personal terms not an issue, with this a move that should also suit Man Utd, even if the fee is relatively modest.
