Manchester United are in talks with Villarreal to sign Ivory Coast international Eric Bailly, according to Sky sources

Manchester United are in talks with Villarreal to sign Ivory Coast international Eric Bailly, according to Sky sources.

Sky Sports News HQ understands United are not the only club trying to sign Bailly, with Manchester City, Barcelona, and Paris St Germain all also in talks with the La Liga club.

Bailly is not believed to have a release clause in his contract, which means all four clubs are essentially in a bidding war for the player. That has driven his transfer fee towards the region of £30m. All four clubs are also competing to offer the best financial package to the player.

Bailly in action for Villarreal against Atletico Madrid

The 22-year-old central defender played 25 times for Villarreal in La Liga last season, and made seven Europa League appearances, scoring once. He played in his side's 1-0 semi-final first-leg victory against Liverpool.

Villarreal only signed Bailly in January 2015 from Espanyol to replace Gabriel Paulista, who joined Arsenal earlier that month. He has won 14 caps for Ivory Coast after making his international debut in the same month.