Manchester United sign Villarreal defender Eric Bailly for four-year deal

Pic courtsey: Twitter(Manchester United)

New Delhi: Manchester United announced their maiden signing of the season in the form of Eric Bailly on Wednesday.

The Old Trafford outfit confirmed the news via their official Twitter account.

According to reports, it took around 30 million pounds to sign the Ivorian international from Villareal.

The 22 year-old defender was signed by Villareal for just 4.4 million pounds last season from cash-strapped Espanyol.

In 2011, Bailly had been sought after by numerous scouts while participating at a youth tournament in Burkina Faso. Espanyol were the first club who took action and signed the defender, when he was aged 17. But due to work permit issues it took quite a while for him to make an appearance for the club. He was signed by Villareal in 2015 after brilliant performances at the African Cup of Nations where his country, Ivory Coast turned out to be the Champions.

The signing of Eric Bailly, marks the commencement of the Jose Mourinho era at Old Trafford.

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