Sevilla are showing a ‘serious interest’ in signing Manchester United defender Eric Bailly, according to reports.

Bailly is currently in his third season at United, having signed for the club in the summer of 2016. However, he has failed to hit the heights expected of him.

The defender undoubtedly possesses some magnificent qualities. He is arguably the club’s best defender on his day. However, he has an unnecessary rashness about him that has severely hindered his progress. It was one of the key reasons that Jose Mourinho simply could not trust the center-back, and a lot of fans feel the same way. His red card against Bournemouth summed up his entire United career in one moment.

Bailly is still only 24 though, and has a long way to go. There is plenty of time to work on his decision making and other aspects of his game. With both Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo suffering injury setbacks, the Ivorian will undoubtedly be a key player for United when he returns.

Sevilla have been keeping tabs on Bailly, who played for Villarreal in La Liga before moving to Old Trafford. The Spanish side’s manager Pablo Machin is eager to bolster his defensive ranks and according to Estadio Deportivo, has identified the Ivorian as a major target.

The news outlet goes on to claim that the club could even settle for a loan move. However, the one stumbling block preventing a move from taking place would be the defender’s salary. Bailly currently earns around £75,000 a week at United. If the move does go through, Sevilla might request United to pay a portion of the player’s salary.

It seems unlikely that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side will agree to the move though. The club are short of defensive options themselves. Victor Lindelof and Phil Jones are the only available center-backs at the moment. Bailly and Lindelof could also easily be the heart of United’s defense for years to come. Hence, United are likely to reject all approaches for the Ivorian.