Manchester United could be tempted to make a move for Gareth Bale
According to Jack Otway of the Express, Manchester United could make a move for Real Madrid outcast Gareth Bale.
The veteran Welshman has been suggested as an alternative to Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho.
United’s pursuit of the 20-year-old hit a roadblock when they failed to meet Dortmund’s August 10 deadline. The trail for the English wonderkind has since gone somewhat cold.
The Red Devils have since turned their attention to alternatives such as Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele, Juventus star Douglas Costa and Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman.
Coman has seen his standing at Bayern rise following his winner in last season’s Champions League final. The other two, meanwhile, have endured frustrating seasons and have faced a barrage of injuries.
Bale, on the other hand, is available and is a player United have been familiar with for years.
We came close to signing him from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013. Despite outbidding Real Madrid, the Welshman chose to move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Third time is a charm?
This did little to stem our links to Bale. The club made another attempt to bring him to Old Trafford in 2017 when Jose Mourinho was in charge.
For the second time, the Welshman chose Madrid over us. That could finally be changing with him now being open to a move away.
Although he is 31, he admits his hunger to play football still exists. Real are keen to get him off their wage bill and this can see United potentially signing him on for a song.
The only issue could be his wages. He currently earns an eye-watering £15.2million annually at Real. If he is able to get back to his best, it would be money well spent.
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Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur are also interested in taking him back to North London. However, they are in no condition economically to make a move.
This can work in our favour. With a deal for Sancho uncertain at this point, Bale can represent an ideal stop-gap solution. Whether United will look to make it third-time lucky remains to be seen.