Krishnan Sreekumar
Fabrizio Romano says Manchester United duo Eric Bailly and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have chances to leave this summer
According to football journalist Fabrizio Romano on his Youtube channel (h/t Express), Manchester United could lose defensive duo Eric Bailly and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The summer is expected to bring in a host of changes to the squad, coinciding with the arrival of new manager Erik ten Hag from Ajax Amsterdam. The Dutchman will look to oversee a massive squad rebuild ahead of the 2022/23 season.
The Ajax coach will also need to work hard to improve the team on the pitch, with the Manchester side currently sitting in sixth place in the Premier League. This is a far cry from their previous campaign when they finished as runners-up.
As part of a massive summer clearout, the club is expected to see the backs of players like Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, Edinson Cavani, and Paul Pogba when their contracts run out at the end of the season. Nemanja Matic, meanwhile, has already announced his departure from Old Trafford in the summer.
Defensive clear-out at Old Trafford
Two more stars could join this list, however, as Romano revealed that Bailly and Wan-Bissaka have chances to exit the club ahead of the new campaign. Aside from the midfield shakeup in the team, there could now arise a possibility of the defensive line seeing wholesale changes as well.
Bailly is said to be considering his future with the Red Devils after barely getting any game time in central defence, while Wan-Bissaka too has fallen behind Diogo Dalot in the pecking order at right-back.
While Bailly spent his initial years at Man United as one of the main stars in central defence, the arrivals of Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, and Raphael Varane over the seasons have seen him warm the bench and be limited to making appearances in domestic cup competitions.
The Ivorian will surely be disappointed by the number of minutes he has racked up this season, despite the poor form of Maguire and the constant injury niggles keeping Varane out of games. The 28-year-old could perhaps make a move to AC Milan in the summer, with the Italian giants one of several clubs thought to be interested in a deal.
More Manchester United News
- Fabrizio Romano confirms the exit of Manchester United director of football negotiations Matt Judge in the summer
- Manchester United suffer transfer blow as Juventus ace Paulo Dybala has chosen to join Inter Milan for free in the summer
- Manchester United star Aaron Wan-Bissaka eyed by AS Roma with former Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho keen on the player
Wan-Bissaka has had a tough time at Old Trafford this season too, being snubbed by interim manager Ralf Rangnick for Dalot at right-back. Just last year, the tables were turned as the Englishman was established as the club’s first-choice in the position while Dalot was sent out on loan to Milan.
We may see the last of the 24-year-old in the coming weeks as well, given that his former employers Crystal Palace are interested in re-signing him in the summer. Only time will tell if both Bailly and Wan-Bissaka have played their last games for Man United.
