Newcastle have reportedly been offered the opportunity to sign Manchester United defender Eric Bailly this summer.
According to The Mirror the north east club are sounding out alternative options to Lille's Sven Botman who is their number one target. However, should they fail to land the coveted centre-back who has starred in Ligue 1, it has been claimed that Eddie Howe has been given the chance to sign the Ivorian.
Bailly struggled for minutes last season under both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick. The 28-year-old made just seven appearances for United all season — only four of which were in the Premier League.
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Last month, MEN Sport reported that Bailly had said his goodbyes to his United teammates in anticipation of leaving Old Trafford in this transfer window. Another defender who bid farewell to his colleagues in May was Phil Jones and he is also attracting interest this summer.
Marca understands that Leeds, Fulham and Southampton are all keen on bringing the 30-year-old to their clubs. Jones made his return to the United line-up in January in a 1-0 defeat to Wolves.
Despite a positive welcome back from the United faithful at Old Trafford, Jones went on to make just four more first team appearances last season. The Englishman's minutes since the end of the 2018-19 season have been limited due to injury and his contract expires next year.
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