Ligue 1 giants AS Monaco are reportedly keen on signing Manchester United defender Eric Bailly this summer.
According to a report by French publication L’Equipe, Ligue 1 giants AS Monaco are interested in signing Ivorian centre-back Eric Bailly from Manchester United. The 28-year-old defender has fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford and is eager to move on this summer in search of regular game time.
Eric Bailly moved to Manchester United from Villarreal in 2016, but except for his first season in England, he has largely been used off the bench. Recurring injury issues have not helped his case either, with the likes of Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane, all above the Ivory Coast international in the pecking order.
Manchester United have also signed Ajax centre-back Lisandro Martinez this summer, who debuted for the Red Devils in their opening day 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League. This has left Bailly as possibly the fifth-choice centre-back at Erik ten Hag’s disposal.
Bailly was set to leave Manchester United last summer as a free agent but instead signed a new three-year deal. That did not turn out as he would have hoped for as he was used in just four Premier League matches all season. He has thus been looking for greener pastures this summer, with the likes of Sevilla and AS Roma emerging as potential destinations.
Bailly is said to be open to joining Sevilla, who see the Manchester United defender as a replacement for Jules Kounde. Roma were once said to be close to securing his signature, with Jose Mourinho keen on a reunion with the defender, who was his first signing for Manchester United.
AS Monaco have now entered the mix and are keen to sign Bailly in the ongoing transfer window. The Ligue 1 giants are set to complete the signing of Chelsea defender Malang Sarr on loan and want to add one more centre-back to their squad before the summer transfer window slams shut.
As far as Bailly’s Manchester United career is concerned, the 28-year-old has represented them in 113 matches across competitions and won the Europa League and EFL Cup in his debut season with them. It will be interesting to see if he has Ligue 1 football in his future by joining AS Monaco.
