Olympique Lyon reportedly failed with a late punt for Manchester United duo Anthony Martial and Eric Bailly on the transfer deadline day.
Ligue 1 giants Olympique Lyonnais failed with a late attempt to land Manchester United duo Anthony Martial and Eric Bailly as the summer transfer window drew to a close.
The Red Devils had already completed their business ahead of time and looked set to enjoy a quiet deadline day that would be focussed more on outgoings. While the likes of Daniel James did leave the club, he could have had company had Lyon got their way.
According to French outlet L’Equipe on Twitter, Lyon reached out to United ace Anthony Martial’s entourage regarding a loan switch. The player for his part was not interested and stayed put at Old Trafford.
The Ligue 1 side were keen to strengthen their left flank and had earmarked Martial as one potential solution. Others in contention included Franck Ribery, Willian and Pablo Sarabia. Thankfully for United, Martial will now take to the field for them this season.
Martial is coming off the back of a disappointing season that saw him net just seven times in 36 appearances across all competitions. This saw Edinson Cavani usurp him as the club’s ace striker. With Cristiano Ronaldo now back at the club, Martial could find opportunities hard to come by.
The same can be said of Eric Bailly following the arrival of Raphael Varane. The Ivory Coast international is arguably the fourth-best centre-back at United at this moment in time. According to the Italian publication Footmercato, Lyon were also in the market for a defender and had their eyes on Bailly.
A deal, however, proved to be too complicated and with little time left in the window, Lyon turned their attentions to German veteran Jerome Boateng. The 32-year-old has since joined the French side on a free transfer as Bailly looks set for another season in red.
While both Martial and Bailly are far from starting XI material, they offer Ole Gunnar Solskjaer enough strength in reserve. Martial has a point to prove this season and could very well be the Norwegian’s trump card. With Marcus Rashford currently out injured, the Frenchman has the opportunity to stake a claim to be a regular first XI player. Whether he takes it remains to be seen.
Bailly, meanwhile, has to contend with competition from not just Varane but also Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof. With the Red Devils set to fight along multiple fronts, Bailly could get his chances in cup competitions. Time will tell whether he will rise up the pecking order in the games to come.
