AC Milan have failed to negotiate a January loan move for Manchester United’s Eric Bailly but are expected to reignite interest in the summer.
Eric Bailly was one of several Manchester United players who were expected to be sold in January. The Ivory Coast defender has had regular injury troubles during his time at the club. He has only six starts to his name this season with the arrival of Raphael Varane impacting his game time even further.
However, Bailly has a contract with the Red Devils until the summer of 2024. The club still want a transfer fee for the player which is why it refused to add a buy option to the agreement. AC Milan were in the market for a center-back and the Ivorian was one of their top targets.
However, the Italian giants are now expected to hold out and return to negotiate with United in the summer.
Manchester United need to sell deadwood before bringing in reinforcements
Manchester United have quite a bit of deadwood in their squad. Ralf Rangnick also claimed that the club needs to sell players before making new signings.
Eric Bailly has regularly shown flashes of his potential and has an unorthodox yet confident playing style combined with an adventurous personality. He is an exceptionally talented defender but can sometimes lose focus.
Raphael Varane’s arrival has resulted in Eric Bailly becoming the fourth choice defender behind Maguire and Lindelof in addition to the former Madrid center-back. Phil Jones is also a centre-back that United are looking to sell.
Additionally, the likes of Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial and Edinson Cavani are all expected to leave by the summer while Amad Diallo has already been sent on loan to Rangers. Donny Van De Beek is a possible summer departure as well in addition to Paul Pogba, while Dean Henderson is also expected to push for a move in search of more regular gametime.
Henderson is still only 24 and is regarded as the natural heir to David De Gea. However, the English goalkeeper rightly feels ready to become the number 1 goalkeeper at a top team. David De Gea’s extraordinary revival has made that impossible.
Needless to say, Manchester United’s squad is set to have a fresh look to it at the start of next season.