Man Utd transfer ‘agreement’ as ‘final meeting’ takes place; deal to go through ‘in a few days’
Manchester United defender Erik Bailly is expected to seal a transfer to Besiktas before the end of the week, according to reports in Turkey.
The Ivory Coast international has made 113 appearances for Man Utd since moving from Villarreal in the summer of 2016.
He helped the club win the League Cup and Europa League in his first season but he has also been hampered by injuries throughout his time at Old Trafford.
The arrival of Lisandro Martinez last summer saw the centre-back drop down the pecking order further behind Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire.
Maguire is now set to depart after Man Utd accepted a £30m offer from West Ham but the Red Devils are intending to bring in a new centre-back later in the transfer window.
And that means that Bailly, who spent last season on loan at French side Marseille, no longer has a future at the club with reports claiming he is close to a move to Besiktas.
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And now Turkish outlet Sports Digitale journalist Sercan Dikme insists that Bailly is the Turkish side’s ‘number one candidate’ at centre-back this summer.
The Man Utd defender has ‘agreed’ a three-year contract at Besiktas and ‘will have a final meeting with Manchester United today’ and Dikme adds that the ‘transfer is expected to conclude in a few days’.
In an another tweet, Dikme added: ‘There is a loyalty bonus between Eric Bailly and Manchester United, the 2 sides are discussing that. There are no problems between Beşiktaş and Eric Bailly. If Beşiktaş transfers Eric Bailly, they will not pay a testimonial fee. I haven’t found out his annual salary yet. Duration 3 years.’
Jadon Sancho has failed to live up to the expectations of his £72m price tag after moving to Man Utd from Dortmund in 2021 but former Red Devils striker Louis Saha reckons the England international will be “desperate to prove” himself this coming season.
Saha told Betfred: “The fact Jadon was able to perform well in a new role is another sign that he’s a quality player.
“What’s really impressed me about Jadon during pre-season has been his fitness and this upcoming season will be vital for him because he will want to get back in the England squad and he will be desperate to prove that he’s still a great player and as the team is continuing to improve, he will have no excuses if he fails to show how good he is.
“I believe Sancho will also benefit from the addition of Rasmus Højlund because Jadon’s a creator. However, Jadon has shown that he’s capable of doing a good job in the false nine role and he provides this team with a different option ahead of the new season.
“I do believe that Jadon overthinks things a bit too much sometimes, but I believe he just needs to be more confident in himself and his abilities and he needs to do everything he can to make sure he can get on the ball in the final third.”