Manchester United are ready to cut their losses on Eric Bailly - and they will indeed have made a massive loss should he leave.
The centre-back last featured in a competitive match for the Red Devils in 2021, spending last season out on loan at Marseille where he played just 25 games because of injury and a lengthy suspension for kicking a fourth-division player in the chest during a French Cup match.
Indeed, injuries have marred Bailly's time on the books at Old Trafford, with the Ivorian repeatedly suffering minor, disruptive ailments that often stopped what little moment he had managed to gain. Long-term knee and ankle injuries also took their toll on a player who has never looked fully comfortable at Manchester United.
It gets even worse when you consider how much the Red Devils spent on Bailly. The now-29-year-old impressed during a single season at Villarreal, prompting United to splash ?38 million on the central defender in 2016. Even at the time, this was outrageous money and it looks even worse business now.
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Paying over the odds is not uncommon, of course, but Bailly has never even remotely justified this price tag and his Expected Transfer Value (xTV) backs that up. His stock peaked in January 2018 when he was valued at ?17m - still ?21m short of his transfer fee - and it has more or less steadily declined ever since.
Nowadays, Bailly is worth just ?4.2m and United are ready to cut their losses. According to the Daily Mail, the Red Devils are asking for a measly ?2.3m for the defender.
Mundo Deportivo reports that Real Betis are ready to make a move for Bailly, with their sporting director said to be a long-time admirer.
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A move would bring an end to a hugely disappointing seven-year spell that started with a ?38m arrival and could very well end with a ?2.3m departure.