United’s final opponents Villarreal are reportedly interested in bringing Bailly back

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Manchester United’s Europa League final opponents Villarreal are interested in signing Eric Bailly this summer.

According to Eurosport, the La Liga club would consider bringing the Ivorian back if they lose Pau Torres.

United are keen on Torres, and the MEN reported back in March that a player-plus-cash deal could be on the cards if his £52 million wasn’t met.

Torres is apparently open to a move to United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will get the chance to see him up close in Gdansk tomorrow night.

Interest persists despite new deal

Last month, Bailly signed a new contract with United which will run until June 2024 – but still left the door open to look elsewhere if he wasn’t happy with his gametime.

“I don’t want to be a starter one game and a substitute for another five,” he said, as per the Times.

“If that happens I will have to look for another solution. The new contract is fine but if I don’t play I will be open to listen to other proposals.”

But the deal seemingly hasn’t put Villarreal off. It might well have protected some of his transfer value for United though.

If a part-swap is the way the deal gets done, that could get more money off the asking price for Torres.

Added dimension to the final

Eurosport say Torres effectively faces an audition in Poland tomorrow night.

Whether that’s the case or not, United’s interest in the Spaniard added another dimension to the final.

And their reported keenness to bring Bailly back adds another layer of intrigue, especially if the Ivorian gets the nod to replace Harry Maguire in the side.

Ideally for United, Torres will miss out on glory and the defender will be inspired to make the move to Old Trafford to take the next step in his career and push for silverware.

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