Côte d'Ivoire international defender Eric Bailly has joined Olympique de Marseille on a season-long loan from Manchester United - with an option to buy.
Olympique de Marseille have struck again in the transfer market! The club has made official the arrival of Eric Bailly, an Ivorian international defender who has been loaned out by Manchester United for the season with an option to buy. Bailly, who arrived from Villarreal in the summer of 2016, has made 46 appearances for Côte d'Ivoire and played a total of 113 games for the club.
Experience
The centre-back, who is the eleventh signing of the season for OM, began his professional career with Espanyol Barcelona before joining another La Liga club, the 'yellow submarine' Villarreal, in 2015. A Europa League semi-finalist with the Spanish side, he then joined United in the summer of 2016 and immediately won the Community Shield against Leicester, being named man of the match. During his six seasons in England, the Ivorian international played in three Champions League campaigns and three Europa League, winning the latter in 2017 against Ajax Amsterdam, before being a finalist again in 2021.
Described by OM as an "experienced, fast and powerful central defender", Eric Bailly will add to an Olympian backline that has already been bolstered by the summer arrivals of Isaak Toure, Samuel Gigot and Congolese international Chancel Mbemba.
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