Bailly to leave United

Eric Bailly has been dropped from Manchester United‘s starting XI and the Mirror now claim he wants to leave the club.

Having publicly criticized his centre-back after the defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion, manager Jose Mourinho has gone a step further and chose the partnership of Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof to start their game against Watford on Saturday. Bailly is apparently unhappy about that decision and is therefore ready to leave Old Trafford.

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are both said to be monitoring the situation carefully, and it seems the North-London Derby is set to be played in the transfer market now. Arsenal could certainly use Bailly to add some quality to their much-criticized defence, while Spurs have been pressed hard to keep Toby Alderweireld away from United’s clutches, and should such a situation arise again they might be tempted to offer an exchange deal.

The 24-year-old Ivorian has made 60 appearances for Mourinho’s team since joining the club in 2016, and his current contract runs until the summer of 2020.