Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale is rumored to be in the crosshairs of English Premier League clubs Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur next summer.
Bale, 28, has struggled to find a place in Real head coach Zinedine Zidane’s first team this season. The Welshman has only played five games in La Liga so far, scoring twice, mainly because of lingering injuries.
The Daily Mail reported that Bale had already “reached an agreement” with Real to leave the club at the end of the season. There are rumors that Los Blancos president Florentino Perez has become frustrated about Bale’s inability to stay healthy this season, so he agreed to let go of his prized winger.
This latest development would reportedly boost Manchester United’s chances of snatching Bale out of the Bernabeu next year.
Last month, Jose Mourinho disclosed that the club will target Bale in the future as the Red Devils aim to strengthen their scoring frontline. The United manager even included Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann as part of their $182 million raid next summer.
It seemed almost impossible for such a deal to happen at that time, but right now, everything appeared to be happening according to Mourinho’s plans.
Meanwhile, United is not the only team aiming to land Bale next year. His former club, Tottenham Hotspur, is also interested in bringing back the Cardiff native, according to Caught Offside .
Bale spent six seasons in Tottenham, scoring a total of 55 goals in 203 appearances in all competitions, before making a then world record transfer to Real Madrid in September 2013. His last season with the Spurs was a hit as he scored 21 goals in 33 domestic games, which attracted Real’s interest.
Spurs head coach Mauricio Pochettino is said to be keen on bringing back Bale’s goalscoring to London, and the club has assured him of a handsome transfer kitty next summer to pull off the potential move.
Bale has been successful with Real team-wise, winning three UEFA Champions League trophies, last season’s La Liga title, one Copa del Rey, one FIFA Club World Cup, one Spanish Super Cup, and three UEFA Super Cups in his so far five-season stay.
However, it is a different story in terms of individual honors as he had always been overshadowed by his more illustrious teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Now, without any individual trophy to show for and his regular first-team spot already gone, Caught Offside said that Bale “could do well to move on.”