Sources: Ex-Man United star Eric Bailly placed on transfer list only months after joining
Besiktas have given an exclusive mandate to FIFA agent Willie McKay to find buyers for former Man United star Eric Bailly and four other players in the January transfer window, sources have told Football Insider.
New Besiktas president Hasan Arat and the club’s newly-formed board are keen to reshape the squad after a disappointing 2023-24 campaign to date.
Ex-Man United defender Bailly is one of five players to be placed on the transfer list. The 29-year-old Ivory Coast centre-back only joined the Turkish Super Lig side from United in September.
Bailly, Vincent Aboubakar, Rachid Ghezzal, Jean Onana and Valentin Rosier have all been dropped from the first-team with Besiktas open to offers for the five players.
McKay has been mandated by Besiktas to speak to interested clubs in the UK and France for all five players as the Turkish club look to make room in their squad for new signings.
It is believed the agent’s services have been sought out in particular to find buyers for Bailly, 29, and Aboubakar, 31 – who have both had long careers in Europe.
Besiktas took the unusual step of confirming the five players’ exclusion from the first team.
The Turkish giants said in a statement that the decision was made because of “poor performance” and “incompatibilities within the team”.
Besiktas sit fifth in the Super Lig and were knocked out of the Europa Conference League.
Bailly only joined the club in the summer window and played for them eight times before his exclusion – with a number of injuries limiting his involvement.
The Ivory Coast international made 113 appearances during his time with Man United.
Winger Ghezzal is formerly of Leicester and made 23 appearances for the Midlands side, scoring three goals.
He left the King Power Stadium for Turkey in 2021.
In other news, Man United ready to listen to offers for six “mega-earning” first-team stars.