Erik ten Hag is reportedly ready to offload six Manchester United defenders after completing his assessment of the squad during pre-season.
United have signed Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez to bolster their defensive options and the arrivals will spark an exodus in the final month of the transfer window. Central defenders Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe, as well as full-backs Alex Telles, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Ethan Laird, have all been told they can leave, according to the Daily Mail.
Bailly, Jones and Tuanzebe all find themselves well down the pecking order in central defence, with Martinez joining captain Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof as the core that Ten Hag will pick from. Martinez arrived from Ten Hag’s former side, Ajax, for an initial fee of £47million, plus £8.5m in potential add-ons, and has the advantage of being the only left-footed centre-back in the squad.
Bailly is under contract with United until at least June 2024 after signing an extension, which includes the option of a further 12 months, back in April 2021. He has attracted attention from AC Milan and Roma, despite playing just seven times in all competitions last season, with Sevilla and Fulham also in the frame.
The 28-year-old joined United in a £34m move from Villarreal in June 2016, but The Mirror understands he would be available for less than £10m this summer, with United keen to offload.
Jones is one of United’s longest serving players, having joined from Blackburn 11 years ago, but has barely featured in the past few years. He has reportedly held talks with his former team-mate Wayne Rooney about moving to DC United in MLS.
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Tuanzebe is attracting interest from newly-promoted Bournemouth after spending time out on loan with Aston Villa and Napoli, while fellow academy graduate Laird is poised to join Watford on a season-long loan. Laird, 20, has spent time with MK Dons, Swansea, and Bournemouth in the past two seasons and will leave on another temporary move.
Telles has been demoted by the signing of Malacia from Feyenoord. The Brazilian is now behind Malacia and Luke Shaw in the pecking order at left-back. He has attracted interest from Sevilla, just two years after arriving in Manchester for £15.4m from Porto.
Wan-Bissaka will prove the hardest player to move on for United. The 24-year-old right-back has slipped behind Diogo Dalot in his position following his £50m move from Crystal Palace three years ago. He has two more years left on his contract and Palace would only take him back on loan, meaning United might have to continue paying his wages.
United have until September 1 to conclude their transfer business, but begin their season against Brighton at Old Trafford on Sunday. So far they have signed just three players, Malacia, Martinez and Christian Eriksen, with efforts to bring in top target Frenkie de Jong stalling.
