Gareth Bale has come up as an alternative option for Manchester United if they miss out on signing Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund this summer. Bale, outcast at Real Madrid, is looking for a move out of Spain and is eager to return to the Premier League. The 31-year-old Welshman has always found suitors at Old Trafford with the club failing to sign him on three occasions earlier. Bale was set to join Chinese club Jiangsu Suning last summer but Real president Florentino Perez blocked the move at the last moment. Jadon Sancho to Manchester United Transfer News: Borussia Dortmund Coach Lucien Favre Suggests Red Devils Should Forget Signing Winger This Summer.
United though are reluctant to sign Bale and only want him on a season-long loan. The Red Devils’ interest on Bale came up after Real Madrid lowered the transfer fee for Bale from £90 million to £18.9 million due to the impact of COVID-19 on the club’s finance. The defending La Liga champions have not made a single signing this summer and instead have focused on offloading players to lower their humongous wage fee. Manchester United Focused on Winning Trophies, Not on Top-Four Finish, Says Defender Luke Shaw.
According to reports, Bale currently earns a mammoth £600,000-a-week in wages at the Spanish capital. Despite his huge weekly wage, Bale played only 20 times last season and was not part of the squad in Real’s last three matches. He is also out of favour with coach Zinedine Zidane and is reportedly training alone away from the rest of the squad as Real try and offload him this summer. Bale currently has two years remaining in his current Real contract.
He has been linked with a move to Manchester United, who are struggling to match Borussia Dortmund’s demand of £120 million transfer fee for Jadon Sancho. Dortmund have refused to sell Sancho unless their demand is met while United have refused to pay such a high fee under the current circumstances with COVID-19 hitting the football market.
The Red Devils have kept a number of options on the table as an alternative signing for Sancho with Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic and Bournemouth’s David Brooks some names. Bale has also interested United and as per latest reports, the Wales captain is the club’s second choice after Sancho. Unlike Sancho, he is set to come cheap this summer but Sancho has age by his side. Bale is 31-year-old.
United have already signed Donny van de Beek from Ajax this summer and are in the market for more signings. But with only three weeks left in the summer transfer window, the club must make quick moves or miss out on a number of players.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 14, 2020 09:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).