Tottenham will go head-to-head with rivals Arsenal for Man United Ivorian international Eric Bailly, according to the Daily Star.
The Gunners have been monitoring the centre-back for months and now Mauricio Pochettino is said to see him as the replacement for Toby Alderweireld.
Bailly was Jose Mourinho’s first signing at Man United when he joined for £34.2million from Villarreal in 2016.
He’s fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said the 6ft 2in enforcer can leave in the summer.
He’s out of contract at the end of 2020 and this would be the last window United could get a significant fee for him.
However, the report also moots that Bailly could be used in a swap deal for Alderweireld, who has a £25million release clause.
Good move for Tottenham?
Bailly looked like a beast when he arrived at United but injuries and the Mourinho situation conspired to drag him down and he hasn’t been the same since. 18 appearances this season is ridiculous for a player of his talents and at 25-years-old he’s at the peak of his powers. Tottenham are likely to lose Alderweireld this summer and it could work out really well if he wants to go to United, with Bailly coming in the opposite direction. Man United might be getting the better side of the deal in the short-term but Alderweireld is five years older than Bailly and it’s Bailly who could rocket in value if Pochettino can tease him back to top form. It’s a gamble but one that could well be worth taking.
This is Futbol rating: 7/10
Likely to happen?
Swap deals are notoriously difficult to negotiate but this one might just be easy enough to get over the line. It all comes down to Pochettino and whether he really sees Bailly as the centre-back who can replace Alderweireld. We think Bailly could fit well into the Tottenham team and we think the Ivorian international would jump at the chance to prove he can be a star in the Premier League.
This is Futbol rating: 6/10