Manchester United should try and convince Real Madrid to trade Gareth Bale for struggling star Alexis Sanchez, opines former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour.
In an interview with talkSPORT, Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has suggested that Manchester United should go all out to try and land Gareth Bale from Real Madrid in the summer transfer window and should offer Alexis Sanchez to the La Liga giants as a deal sweetener.
Having joined Real Madrid in 2013, Bale has seen a lot of success with Los Blancos, winning a La Liga title and four UEFA Champions League trophies during his time in Spain. However, the Wales international has always cut a somewhat unsettled figure at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The 29-year-old has struggled for form and fitness once again, scoring just 13 goals and assisting 5 more in 34 games, failing to live up to the lofty expectations placed on him. Having lost his spot in the first-team recently, Bale has grown visibly frustrated and the return of Zinedine Zidane as the Real Madrid manager isn’t likely to improve his situation.
Given that Zidane had reportedly advised Florentino Perez to sell Bale last summer only, an exit from the Bernabeu in the upcoming window seems a strong possibility for the Welshman. And former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour has advised Manchester United to capitalise on the situation and swoop in for the 29-year-old.
Parlour further goes on to claim that throwing in Alexis Sanchez as part of the deal would strengthen the chances of Manchester United signing Bale.
“Sanchez was in such great form at Arsenal. I know a lot of Manchester United fans and I said to them, ‘You got an absolute bargain there – £20million for a player of his calibre – he’s going to make your team much better’.”
“He was brilliant at Arsenal. I do like him. He was one of those players who you would pay to watch. It just hasn’t happened for him. I’d go to Real Madrid and I’d swap him for Gareth Bale. They’ll be on the same sort of wages.”
It is certainly an interesting suggestion put forth by the Arsenal legend. There is no denying that both Bale and Sanchez have been struggling at their respective clubs and a change of sceneries could prove to be the catalyst for them to revive their faltering careers.
Manchester United are in the market for a new winger, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer identifying that as a key area that needs to be strengthened ahead of the 2019-20 season. And Bale, with his immense experience in England and on the continental stage, could be a prize catch for the 20-time English champions.
Sanchez, on the other hand, has had a torrid time since switching Arsenal for Manchester United in January last year and could be shipped out in the summer, with the Red Devils keen on getting rid of his £500,000-a-week wages.
There is a strong possibility that both Bale and Sanchez might not stay beyond this season with Real Madrid and Manchester United respectively. But, a swap deal between the two clubs, as enticing as it sounds, is very much unlikely to take place.
