JOSE MOURINHO wants to be reunited with Eric Bailly at Roma, according to reports.
But the Manchester United defender will reject the transfer – because he wants to fight for his place under Erik ten Hag.
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According to the Daily mailthe Special One would like the Europa Conference League winners backline and considers Bailly to be the ideal candidate.
And it is thought Bailly could enjoy a similar career revival that Chris Smalling enjoyed at the Olympic Stadium.
Bailly and Mourinho worked together over the Portuguese’s two-and-a-half years as Old Trafford boss, with the £30 million man making his first-ever signing in 2016.
The former Espanyol defender28, made 113 appearances in all competitions and was part of the squad that won the League Cup and Europa League under Mourinho in 2017.
But in recent years, he struggled for form and fitness, which caused him to drop down the pecking order.
And the arrival of Lisandro Martinez in a £57m deal only seemed to further hamper his chances.
However, with new boss Ten Hag at the helm, he has given Bailly a chance in pre-season – and has grabbed it with both hands with a string of good performances, potentially jumping over Victor Lindelof.
And that’s why Bailly wants to stay, because he believes he still has a future with United.
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Be united though open to offers and can sell to raise funds – of further reinforcements still needed before the transfer window closes.
Napoli has been chasing the Ivorian international, especially after the loss of the tough Kalidou Koulibaly to Chelsea.
Ten Hag: “With the number of matches you need more opportunities in the attack.
“I think it is essential if you want to achieve success, the season is very long. But we still have time to fill that in.
this season there are a lot of games, there is a World Cup, so we need more options.
“We have a good team, we need a good team to get the right results at the end of the season.”
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