It’s Neymar! Only messing, it is of course Villarreal defender Eric Bailly.
The Ivorian will join Manchester United in a £30 million deal that can only be bad news for Phil Jones, among others.
The Yellow Submarine will turn a tidy profit on the 22-year-old, who they signed from Espanyol for just £4.4m last summer. United signed Bailly on a four-year-deal, which is subject to a work permit.
But when Jose Mourinho spots a defender around whom he wishes to build a new team, nothing, not even 700% inflation, will stand in his way.
It's official! We've signed @EricBailly24, subject to a work permit. More: https://t.co/wXgHSqmMju #BaillyIsRed pic.twitter.com/7yyga3XaOi
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 8, 2016
He signed full-back Nuno Valente for Uniao Leiria and then Porto in the early stages of his management career, he then brought Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira with him to Chelsea at the start of his first stint in charge of the Londoners.
It was a sign of Internazionale’s defensive solidity when he arrived that his only signings were midfielders Mancini, Sulley Muntari and Ricardo Quaresma. However when he upped sticks to Madrid in 2010 he was sure to sign Carvalho once more.
Defensive signings were notable in their absence when he returned to Chelsea in 2013. However Mourinho’s disappointment at not securing the services of John Stones was seen as significant when it all began to unravel at Stamford Bridge last season.
Even if it is a predictable move, United seem delighted to get their man, turning the club Twitter account into a “Bailly is Red” shrine.
Don’t remember them doing that for Daley Blind. Or Jones, for that matter.
Old Trafford, where defenders are once more truly valued.
