According to the press, the purchase option would amount to 6 million euros and would become mandatory depending on his number of appearances and a possible qualification of OM for the next Champions League.
Marseille will pay the 28-year-old's full salary, estimated at nearly 5 million euros per year.
Arrived from Villarreal in the summer of 2016, Bailly, selected 46 times with the Ivorian "elephants", gradually slipped in the hierarchy of Mancunian defenders, after a first full season (38 appearances).
In total, he played 113 games in the red jersey, but the arrival this summer of Lisandro Martinez, added to the competition of Harry Maguire, Raphaël Varane and Victor Lindelöf, left him with little prospect of playing time in the club. team coached by Erik ten Hag.
Eleventh recruit for this transfer window for Olympique de Marseille, the central defender began his professional career in the colors of Espanyol Barcelona before joining another La Liga club, Villareal's "yellow submarine", in 2015.
Semi-finalist of the Europa League with the Spanish team, he then joined United in the summer of 2016 and immediately won the Community Shield against Leicester, being named man of the match.
During his six seasons in England, the Ivorian international played three Champions League and three Europa League campaigns, a competition he won in 2017 against Ajax Amsterdam, before being a finalist again in 2021.
Described by OM as an "experienced, fast and powerful central defender", Eric Bailly will complete an already full Olympian rearguard with the arrivals this summer of Congolese international Chancel Mbemba, Isaak Touré and Samuel Gigot .
© 2022 AFP