La Liga giants hatch plan to re-sign £30m star from Man Utd

Villarreal are reportedly weighing up a bid to take Eric Bailly back from Manchester United, four years after selling him.

Bailly was a £30m investment for Manchester United back in 2016, but despite showing some promise, the defender has struggled with injury issues and has only made two Premier League appearances this season.

With Harry Maguire becoming captain at Old Trafford and Victor Lindelof generally establishing himself as the Englishman’s main center-back partner, opportunities may be limited for Bailly when he returns from injury – and his former club have spotted an opening.

According to Fichajes (via Sport Witness), Villarreal believes they can give Bailly the chance to resurrect his career back where it began to accelerate.

The 26-year-old only spent one season at Villarreal, but his form in that campaign earned him a move to United, as well as a tidy profit for the Spanish club.

The La Liga outfit are in search of defensive reinforcements, and a return for Bailly would be a high-profile acquisition for the club nicknamed the ‘Yellow Submarine’.

No price tag is mentioned for Bailly, nor is United’s stance on allowing him to leave. It is worth remembering that the Ivory Coast international signed a new two-year contract at Old Trafford in January, despite his injury troubles.

Arsenal and Tottenham had been mentioned as interested parties in the past, before Man Utd disappointed them by extending Bailly’s contract.

read also:Villarreal want to re-sign Man United’s Eric Bailly

After returning to action briefly in March, Bailly reiterated how happy he was at United, and thanked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for his faith and patience.

“Now, I’m so happy to be back in action and in good health,” he said, shortly before the season was halted. “I’m happy that my training is going well and to the normal plan, after so many months out, so I really want to make the most of this moment in my life.”