Manchester United could reportedly sign Gareth Bale from Real Madrid in January, with the Spanish giants set to demand Paul Pogba in exchange.
If the report from The Sun is to be believed, Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale could become a Manchester United player as early as January, with the Welshman understood to be close to an exit from the Santiago Bernabeu. However, Los Blancos are likely to demand United superstar Paul Pogba as part of the deal.
Bale’s situation at Real Madrid has been far from ideal. The former Tottenham Hotspur superstar came close to sealing an exit from the club in the summer to join Chinese Super League outfit Jiangsu Suning. But, Real Madrid blocked the transfer at the last moment, pouring cold water over the winger’s hopes of leaving the club.
Following the saga, Bale made a fairly solid start to the season, but has been sidelined for over a month with an injury. So far this term, the 30-year-old has scored and assisted two goals apiece in seven games across all competitions.
Despite being reportedly unfit to turn out for Real Madrid, Bale joined up with the Welsh national team for their UEFA Euro Qualifiers, sparking controversy. The winger also made some negative comments about his situation at Madrid, while his relation with manager Zinedine Zidane is believed to be shaky as well.
With the situation as it is, Real Madrid are prepared to cut their losses on the £650,000-a-week star as early as the January transfer window. And as per the report, Manchester United are willing to offer Bale a way out of his misery in the Spanish capital.
Manchester United have had a difficult start to the 2019-20 campaign and the report claims that the Red Devils are keen on recruiting a star name in the winter window to salvage their season. Bale is a player that has been linked with the 20-time English champions on numerous occasions in the past and they are now determined to land the Welshman.
Real Madrid though, are hoping to use Manchester United’s interest in Bale as a leverage to pry away star midfielder Paul Pogba from Old Trafford. The Frenchman had been heavily linked with a move to the Bernabeu in the summer window and remains a priority target for manager Zidane, who is seeking an upgrade in the midfield department.
To that end, Real Madrid were reportedly lodge a €100 million bid with Bale in exchange to secure the services of Pogba. And with Manchester United also interested in Bale, Los Blancos are hoping to push for a move in the January transfer window.
But, it is unlikely that Manchester United would want to allow Pogba to leave midway through the season. Moreover, given the profile of players the Red Devils have been targeting under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, their reported interest in Bale does seem questionable.
As things stand, Bale’s time at Real Madrid is clearly nearing an end. However, a move to Manchester United in January, with Pogba moving the other way, does seem highly improbable.
