"?Manchester United have completed their first signing of the summer in the shape of highly rated Villarreal defender Eric Bailly. The deal, which is still subject to a successful work permit application, is believed to be worth as much as £31m after various add-ons.
Bailly passed a routine medical examination on Tuesday afternoon and has signed a four-year contract that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2020. There is an option to extend the deal for a further two years until 2022.
It's official! We've signed @EricBailly24, subject to a work permit. More: https://t.co/wXgHSqmMju #BaillyIsRed pic.twitter.com/7yyga3XaOi
"It is a dream come true to be joining Manchester United. To play football at the highest level is all I have ever wanted to do," the player told "?ManUtd.com.
"I want to progress to be the best that I can be and I believe working with Jose Mourinho will help me develop in the right way and at the right club. I am looking forward to meeting my new team-mates and to starting this new chapter of my life."
The 22-year-old Ivorian is the first new arrival of the Mourinho era and will strengthen a defence that can claim to have been the best in the Premier League after the 2015/16 season.
Say hello to our new signing, @EricBailly24! #BaillyIsRed https://t.co/uCNv5rqG7p
Mourinho said of Bailly, "Eric is a young central defender with great natural talent. He has progressed well to date and has the potential to become one of the best around.
"We look forward to working with him to help nurture that raw talent and fulfil his potential. Eric is at the right club to continue his development."
Bailly is versatile and able to operate in either full-back role as well as the in the centre of defence. He also possesses the kind of physical attributes that Mourinho is known to favour.
To get more information on Bailly and what he might bring to Old Trafford, click here.
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