Manchester United defender Eric Bailly could be heading to Saudi Arabia despite drawing interest from Real Betis.
As per Sky Sports, two Saudi Pro League clubs have offered the 29-year-old defender an escape from Old Trafford.
One of them is believed to be Al-Nassr. They have been one of the main protagonists of the summer transfer window.
Six months after landing Cristiano Ronaldo, the Saudi giants have signed Sadio Mane, Alex Telles, Marcelo Brozovic and Seko Fofana.
Telles was in a similar position to Bailly after Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag deemed him surplus to requirements and put him up for sale, hoping to raise funds to finance his recruitment plans.
But Al-Nassr could complete another piece of business with the Red Devils, with the Ivory Coast international surfacing on Luis Castro’s radar after being written off by United.
Reduced to a marginal role under ten Hag and down to the final year of his contract, the former Villarreal centre-back’s summer departure looks inevitable.
Despite splashing out around £30 million to sign Bailly from Villarreal in 2016, Man Utd cannot hope to recoup that figure, considering the defender’s stock has been in freefall in recent years.
Luckily for the Saudis, United won’t stand in their way as they aim to offload their unwanted man as soon as possible to gather much-needed cash amid an ongoing quest to land a new central midfielder.
Man United wouldn’t mind sending the troubled Ivorian back to La Liga, where Betis are willing to offer him a fresh start following a seven-year nightmare at the Theatre of Dreams.
While Los Veriblancos boss Manuel Pellegrini sees Bailly as a decent defensive reinforcement, the Spaniards can hardly compete with the Saudis’ financial prowess.
Bailly will have the final say, but given his recent experience in elite European football, it’s difficult to imagine him resisting the temptation to secure hefty earnings in a less competitive league.
