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Manchester United leading bidding for $46 million Villarreal center back

Real Madrid CF v Villarreal CF - La Liga

MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 20: Cristiano Ronaldo (L) of Real Madrid CF (L) competes for the ball with Eric Bertrand Bailly (R) of Villarreal CF during the La Liga match between Real Madrid CF and Villarreal CF at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on April 20, 2016 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)

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There’s a bidding war for Villarreal center back Eric Bertrand Bailly, and Manchester United just may be winning it.

The 22-year-old Ivorian with 15 caps stands 6-foot-1 and made 32 appearances across all competitions for the Europa League semifinalists this season.

Manchester City, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are also listed in the report as possible destinations for Bailly, a product of Espanyol.

[ MORE: Arsenal triggering Jamie Vardy release clause ]

The signing would be Jose Mourinho’s first since taking the helm at United, and could set Bailly up with 26-year-old Chris Smalling.

We don’t know Mourinho’s plans, however, and the club did just ink and has Paddy McNair, Phil Jones and Timothy Fosu-Mensah in the pipeline amongst others.

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