Mizgan Masani
Manchester United could terminate the contract of Eric Bailly to cut losses and let him go for free
As per Spanish outlet AS (h/t Manchester Evening News), Manchester United could terminate the contract of defender Eric Bailly and let him go for free this summer.
Bailly, who was on loan at French club Marseille last season, is currently under contract at Old Trafford until next summer (Transfermarkt).
The 29-year-old arrived at the club seven years ago when Jose Mourinho took charge of the team. Inconsistent performances led him to become a fringe player in due course of time.
The Ivory Coast international had an iffy loan spell at Marseille as well. So, any potential of him coming back to Manchester and earning the trust of Erik ten Hag would have been quashed.
If Bailly’s contract gets terminated, he would be available for a free transfer in this window. Spanish side Real Betis would then be interested in signing him.
Looking at what ten Hag has in central defence, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane would most probably be the first-choice partnership with Victor Lindelof as a backup. We saw Luke Shaw playing a few games in one of the positions too.
United were interested in signing Napoli’s Kim Min-jae for a long time in this window, but it seems like the South Korean international will sign for Bayern Munich.
Coming back to Bailly, it makes a lot of sense for the Red Devils to end his contract. It is more or less clear that ten Hag won’t use the Ivorian in the coming season. There was a reason he was sent on loan last summer.
More Manchester United News
- David de Gea appears to hit out at Man United ‘circus’ with another cryptic tweet
- Moussa Diaby eyes PL move amidst Manchester United and Newcastle interest
- Manchester United star Jadon Sancho is being considered by his former club for a loan move this summer
Keeping that in mind, instead of loaning him out for another year just to keep the books alive, it would be better to let him go for free. Fans have already come to terms that he wasn’t a good signing and its time to finally cut ties for good.
