Manchester United are monitoring the situation concerning Real Madrid’s chase of Monaco’s young sensation Kylian Mbappe, as this could open the door for them to bring Gareth Bale to Old Trafford much sooner than expected.
Bale has, in the past, made no secret of the fact that should he return to English football, United would be his preferred destination. There seemed to be an approach at the start of the summer, but the door was firmly slammed shut, as United manager Jose Mourinho labelled the chances of signing either Bale or Madrid colleague Ronaldo as ‘impossible’.
But should Madrid be successful in their pursuit of Mbappe, this could trigger a chain of events that could see Bale yet arrive at Old Trafford sooner rather than later.
- REAL MADRID FINANCES
Mbappe is almost certain to become the first ever player bought for £100 million – and then some – which, unless Madrid somehow manoeuvre a player or two into the deal, would decimate their coffers, if not empty them. Indeed, it is rumoured that Madrid may even have to sell first to be able to buy Mbappe – which seems improbable given the financial fluidity and profitability of the club over the years, but they also have other commitments and targets, so the ability to simply write out a cheque for what could be in the region of £130 million may not be as straightforward as it seems.
- REAL MADRID PLAYING SQUAD
Where would Mbappe fit? If Zidane wants his man, and they do pay the amount likely needed to bring him to Madrid, they are going to want him on the pitch as much as possible to get maximum value from him – he sure would be a very expensive substitute to have. Mbappe has played as an out and out striker for Monaco, as well as on both wings. But at Madrid, he would be fighting for a starting position with the likes of Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema, Asensio, Isco, notwithstanding the likes of Kroos and Modric. It could well be that squad space needs to be created to accommodate Mbappe….and Bale could just be the one to make way for him.
- UNITED AMBITION
United are desperate to once again become the number one team in England, having dominated the 1990’s and much of the 2000’s, but have seen themselves since fall behind Chelsea and local rivals Manchester City, and now are in a cluster, along with Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool, in chasing the two main protagonists of the Premier League. The signing of Paul Pogba was a statement of intent, but he has so far flattered to deceive, and Jose Mourinho knows he needs quality as well as quantity for United to not just close the gap, but to overtake them and stay at the top of the tree. Bale’s class is undoubted, and he would not leave Madrid under a cloud – he has been very much a success there. He would be a huge rung on the United ladder of ambition.
A lot has yet to happen for all the variables to fall into place and Bale be presented to the Old Trafford faithful – but it would not at all be a surprise to see this jigsaw become complete, and the coy smile on the face of Mourinho when asked about Bale a few days ago may just get much wider should he see that Madrid get Mbappe.
