Transfer Centre

Eric Bailly set for Manchester United return this summer?

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 13 March 2023

Eric Bailly set for Man United return this summer?

Marseille do not plan to trigger their obligation to make Eric Bailly's loan move from Manchester United permanent this summer, according to a report.

Marseille are reportedly against the idea of signing Eric Bailly from Manchester United on a permanent basis this summer, and the centre-back will therefore return to Old Trafford at the end of the season.

Having fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford, the 28-year-old joined Igor Tudor's side on loan for the 2022-23 season with an obligation to buy under certain conditions.

However, Bailly has been unable to revive his career in France, making just 16 appearances in all competitions and serving a seven-match ban for a horror tackle in a Coupe de France game.

Bailly put Hyeres midfielder Almike Moussa N'Diaye in hospital with a high boot to the chest, and he has not been fortunate with injuries himself throughout the season either.

The Ivory Coast international was a regular in Europe earlier this season - starting in five of their six Champions League group-stage games, but he has only started four Ligue 1 matches.

Ivory Coast's Eric Bailly receives medical attention after sustaining an injury on January 16, 2022 © Reuters

According to L'Equipe - via United In Focus - Marseille will be obliged to sign Bailly if they play him in 10 of their final 12 league games of the season, but they do not want to trigger that £6m clause.

As well as featuring regularly towards the end of the campaign, Marseille must also qualify for the Champions League if Bailly is to stay, and Les Olympiens are on course to do that as they sit second in the table.

As a result, Tudor will not select Bailly regularly in the final few weeks of the season in order to avoid triggering that clause, although they would still have the option to sign him without the obligation.

Nevertheless, the former Villarreal man will seemingly head back to Old Trafford for pre-season, but he is facing an increasingly uncertain future and is seemingly not part of Erik ten Hag's plans.

Bailly's contract with the Red Devils only runs until the end of the 2023-24 campaign, and the Red Devils are likely to try to sell him this summer rather than lose him on a free next year.

Manchester United's Eric Bailly pictured on December 8, 2021 © Reuters

Man United paid €38m (£33.6m) to bring Bailly to the club in the summer of 2016, and the Ivorian has since posted one goal and two assists from 113 games in a Red Devils jersey.

Bailly won the EFL Cup, Europa League and Community Shield within one year of swapping Villarreal for Manchester, but his influence waned under Ralf Rangnick in the 2021-22 season.

Bailly is not the only Man United centre-back heading for the exit door this summer, as Phil Jones is expected to depart as a free agent when his deal expires in just over three months' time.

Club captain Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof are also on the chopping block, having been demoted to second choice behind the pairing of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez this term.

However, Man United are supposedly fearful that Maguire's wages - believed to be in the region of £200,000 a week - could scupper their plans to sell him.