Reports: Arsenal and Tottenham in battle for Manchester United defender

What's the rumour?

We're only a month into the new Premier League season and already, speculation has begun with some players reportedly unhappy at their lack of first-team opportunities. One of the most high-profile stars among them is Manchester United defender Eric Bailly.

According to a recent report in the Mirror, the Ivory Coast centre-back is prepared to leave Old Trafford in January with north London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham both monitoring his situation keenly.

In case you didn't know...

Bailly joined United two summers ago, for £30m from La Liga side Villarreal. Heralded as an immediate improvement on their existing central defenders, he quickly established himself under Jose Mourinho as a raw defender but one with plenty of potential, that could succeed long-term at the club.

He made 38 appearances (all comps) during his debut campaign but has also been sidelined with lengthy knee and ankle injuries - which have seen him miss over five months' worth of action in just two years.

The heart of the matter

Bailly started in both of United's opening league fixtures but was blamed for their shock 3-2 away defeat by Brighton.

Dropped completely from the matchday squad to face Tottenham in their crunch clash the following week, he has only appeared in very brief cameo appearances from the substitutes' bench in stoppage-time since - presumably Mourinho's punishment for his weak defending on that fateful afternoon.

This has put both north London sides on red alert, per the report, as he's among the club's top defenders and it's a well-known fact that Mourinho's relationships with players has never always been straightforward. Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is said to be an admirer of Bailly, from his spell in Spain - while Arsenal's Unai Emery appears constantly on the lookout to sign quality talents that become available.

Rumour rating/probability: 7/10

There's no smoke without fire: the rumour is a genuine one, although there has not been any comment by the player or club yet. It makes sense from Bailly's perspective, as he'll want to play regularly and knows he is better than others chosen in his position.

Many other news outlets are also beginning to follow the story too.

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What's next?

Bailly's existing contract expires in the summer of 2020 and it'll be interesting to see how this story develops. Naturally, there will be ample opportunities for him to earn his centre-back place back under Mourinho between now and January, but if his agent or Jose himself decides to discuss the issue, things could either be resolved or intensify very swiftly.

For now, Bailly must continue working hard as normal and understand this may be Mourinho testing the Ivorian's desire to succeed under his management.