Manchester United expect to confirm the signing of Eric Bailly from Villarreal for £30million after he had the first stage of his medical yesterday.
The 22-year-old centre back will become the first signing of Jose Mourinho’s reign and Bailly’s representatives expect an announcement to be made today.
The young Ivory Coast international has been watched by Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund over the past two seasons.
He joined Villarreal from Espanyol in January 2015 for £4.4million, which gives them a massive profit when he signs for United. Though quick, powerful and agile, Bailly is still raw and prone to the odd mistake but Mourinho believes he can grow into a strong presence for United as he looks to add a physical dimension to the squad.
Bailly’s former coach at Espanyol, Manolo Marquez, said: ‘I’m absolutely convinced that he’d be a success in England.
‘He’s similar to Sergio Ramos and while he’s not as good technically, he’s much stronger. Mourinho would be good for Eric because Mourinho always has his defences very well organised. He’s also the type of very strong defender he likes to work with.’
United remain interested in Zlatan Ibrahimovic and have made enquiries about Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic.
Meanwhile, United midfielder Marouane Fellaini has admitted he cried when David Moyes was sacked. ‘I progressed a lot because of him when I came to England, at Everton and then in Manchester. When he was sacked from United, I cried. I’m not ashamed to say it because he did everything for me.’ – Daily Mail