There is a possibility that Eric Bailly will leave Manchester United permanently now that his loan move to Marseille is close at hand.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Ivory Coast star has said goodbyes to his teammates at Carrington and will be joining the French club as his medical tests are set to be concluded.
However, the 28-year-old centre-back is about to depart Old Trafford with a sense of undiscovered potential. Jose Mourinho spent £30 million to acquire Bailly in 2016 from Villarreal. His initial performances were encouraging, but that was all there was to it.
In fact, he only made 13 league appearances in the following five years after making 25 in his first campaign.
Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are Erik ten Hag’s first choice pair to command the back line. On Monday night, the two did a great job of holding off Liverpool while Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof waited in the wings.
Olympique Marseille will cover main part of Eric Bailly’s salary and the buy clause included in the deal will be worth around €10m. ✅🔵 #OM
Deal already completed with Man Utd – Bailly is currently undergoing medical tests then he will sign his OM contract. pic.twitter.com/azIxJ6u37D
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 24, 2022
That means Bailly is, at best, the fifth option, which was always going to lead to an exit. Fabrizio Romano was one of those who mentioned Marseille’s interest when Manchester United started marketing Bailly around.
William Saliba was the key player for Marseille last season. However, Arsenal decided to bring him back to Emirates and now the French club have a void to fill. The Ligue 1 side made the decision to strike a deal with Manchester United for Eric Bailly and both clubs have agreed to a loan move.
The agreement has been modified to include a conditional obligation, requiring Marseille to make the transfer permanent if they qualify for the Champions League next season. Last season, they came in just second place, trailing PSG.
All eyes will be on Marseille’s performance in Ligue 1 this year because Bailly’s future depends on their UCL qualification. The top three teams in France earn a spot in the Champions League, and Igor Tudor’s team placed second last season.
The fact that Saliba is moving back to north London is a setback, but Marseille has made a statement in the transfer market.
In fact, they made the loan deals for Matteo Guendouzi and Arkadiusz Milik permanent. Goalkeeper Pau Lopez, Cengiz Ünder, Colombian Luis Suárez, and Jordan Veretout are among the players who have joined the team for fees close to £10 million.
They have also signed Alexis Sanchez who will bring more experience to the team. Marseille are obviously eager to build on their success from the previous season and appears odds-on for another top-three finish. This would guarantee that Bailly would not return to Manchester again in 2023.
