It’s not former Paris Saint-Germain superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but Manchester United have unveiled their first summer signing, and first acquisition of the Jose Mourinho era.
It’s Villarreal defender Eric Bailly, who could be the new center back to complement Chris Smalling next season. He’s signed, sealed, delivered and now unveiled at Man United:
Say hello to our new signing, @EricBailly24! #BaillyIsRed https://t.co/uCNv5rqG7p
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 8, 2016
Eric Bailly signed a four-year contract with the option to extend for a further two years. According to The BBC, the fee was £30 million.
The official statement on United’s official website, describes Bailly thusly: “made 47 appearances for Villarreal since joining on 29 January 2015. The Ivory Coast central defender has made 15 appearances for his country and was part of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations-winning team, having appeared in all six matches during the competition.”
With the Bailly deal closed, and Ibra likely coming into the fold quite soon, the Man United summer transfer window is off to a very exciting start. The end result at Old Trafford, come deadline day in September, could be much more improved product than anyone could have wagered. It certainly will be if the early transfer window trends hold true throughout the summer. Newly minted Manager Jose Mourinho seems to have big plans regarding a thorough makeover of the roster.
So just who is Eric Bailly, (full name Eric Bertrand Bailly) other then maybe the next man to try and fill that void which has existed in the United central defense for quite some time?
According to his Wikipedia entry, the deal that he signed with Villarreal CF was for five and half years, for a €5.7 million fee on January 29th 2015, “mainly as a replacement to Arsenal F.C.-bound Gabriel Paulista.”
He made his debut with the club a month and three days later, getting into the first team for a 1–0 home win against SD Eibar.
Now it’s time to just close that Zlatan Ibrahimovic deal!
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication.
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