Manchester United will keep up their quiet pursuit of Gareth Bale right up to the end of the transfer window with Adidas keen for the Real Madrid star to make the switch to Old Trafford.
The Sunday Express' chief football correspondent John Richardson claims Bale is still high on the wish list of Louis van Gaal while United's new shirt sponsor, Adidas, also pushing for them to make a world-record move.
Angel di Maria is expected to depart for Paris Saint-Germain in the coming days and Barcelona winger Pedro is expected to complete his £22million move to replace him. However, Van Gaal is willing to make room in his squad for Bale and will remain open-minded to the idea of signing him.
SIGN UP NOW
Want to become a GMS writer? Sign up now and submit a 250 word test article: https://gms.to/haveyoursay4
Real Madrid have rejected any suggestion of selling him so far, mainly because he was brought to the club by current president Florentino Perez. The Bernabeu chief knows that even if the Wales international is sold for a profit, the £86m deal will go down as a failure.
But Manchester United are not put off by the fact that they would have to break the current world-record to sign Bale. In fact, with Ed Woodward always keen to prove how strong the club are financially, the executive vice-chairman would thrive on the idea of breaking the £100m barrier.
The dream partnership
Their interest in Bale is also being encouraged by Adidas, who started their ten-year association with the Red Devils on August 1. They will be paying £75m-a-year to be associated with the Old Trafford outfit and have asked Woodward to consider investing some of that money in Bale.
The 26-year-old is one of Adidas' top stars and the German sports manufacturer thinks the partnership could become something of a synergy as they strive to gain an advantage over their competitors.
The Galactico signing
Van Gaal has already suggested that Woodward needs to make a marquee signing before the window closes on September 1. Bale would certainly fit that mould but there is no way Real Madrid would agree to any deal until the closing days of the window.
Lest we forget, Real Madrid were talking with Tottenham Hotspur all summer before eventually paying £86m for him in 2013.
Comment
Would Gareth Bale turn Manchester United into Premier League champions? Give us YOUR thoughts in the comment box below!
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms
