Manchester United have triggered a two-year contract extension for Eric Bailly to avoid watching another player walk away from Old Trafford.
The Ivory Coast international was set to become a free agent at the end of the season, but United inserted a two-year option into the deal he signed when joining from Villarreal in 2016.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer already watched Ander Herrera walk away for nothing last summer, while Ashley Young has completed a move to Inter Milan after rejecting a one-year extension.
While the centre-back has endured an injury-hampered spell at Old Trafford, United were not prepared to risk letting him leave on a free.
With Chris Smalling on loan at Roma and expected to seal a permanent move in the summer, and uncertainty surrounding the futures of Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo, there are still hopes Bailly can establish himself at the club.
He faces a battle to break up Solskjaer’s first-choice central defensive partnership of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, while Axel Tuanzebe is considered first-choice back-up.
But the 25-year-old showed signs of immense promise in his first season at the club under Jose Mourinho, which Solskjaer now hopes to harness.
