Olympique de Marseille have no intention of triggering the purchase option included in Eric Bailly’s (28) season-long loan deal, according to a report from La Provence.
The Manchester United centre-back’s season with Marseille is yet to live up to expectations so far. Bailly has only played 17 games in all competitions this season. He was frequently injured and was handed a seven-game suspension for a chest-high tackle in a Coupe de France tie against Hyères that left his opponent in intensive care.
Since his disjointed display against PSG in the Classique, during which he left far too much space to Kylian Mbappé (24), Bailly has lost the faith of manager Igor Tudor. The Ivory Coast international has fallen off the pecking order of centre-backs and, with Leonardo Balerdi (24) returning after serving a suspension, it would be a surprise to see him start another game for Les Phocéens. Even in the absence of the Argentinian defender, Bailly was an unused substitute last week when Marseille hosted Montpellier.
Bailly’s €7m purchase option would be automatically triggered if he was to play 19 league games and Marseille were to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Bailly has only featured in 11 league games so far. It is therefore expected Bailly will return to Manchester United next summer. The Ivory Coast international is tied with the Red Devils until 2024.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
