Manchester United Transfer News: Gareth Bale Bid Rumours Will Amount to Nothing

Reports have suggested that Gareth Bale could re-affirm his status as the most expensive player in the history of the game. That’s after it was claimed by Cadena COPE journalist Miguel Angel Diaz that Manchester United have bid a staggering £117 million for the Real Madrid winger, per 101 Great Goals.

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The Welshman has been tenuously linked with a move back to England in recent weeks, with United—who reportedly made a last-ditch attempt to sign the player from Tottenham Hotspur before his La Liga switch, per John Cross of The Mirror—named as one of the his potential suitors. 

And while those reports have regularly been dismissed as paper talk in most quarters, the claim from Diaz—who works closely with Real Madrid—could have a bit more credence. Nonetheless, as noted here by Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, any interest from United will not result in a potential transfer:

It’s a deal that would make next to no sense, truth be told. Of course, the prospect of Bale trailblazing his way up and down the flanks at Old Trafford would be a sight to behold, but spending that much money on another attacker when the squad is so desperately short in other areas would be plain indulgent on the part of Red Devils boss Louis van Gaal.

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Nonetheless, the United manager refused to rule out a move for the Welshman when pressed, per Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News:

But that move would be preposterous for United. Van Gaal has had to field makeshift defences on plenty of occasions in the Premier League this season, and while Red Devils supporters may point to their third-place standing, this team has regularly been bailed out by the brilliance of David De Gea between the sticks.

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Even from a Real Madrid perspective, this transfer is nonsensical. All you need to do is look at the impact Bale has made at the Santiago Bernabeu since his world-record move to see how devastating a force he can be:

But staggeringly, the majority of Madridistas would happily see Los Blancos cash in on the former Spurs man, per AS:

Bale scored the winning goal in the Copa del Rey final, the winner in the Champions League final and also netted in the final of Real’s Club World Cup win. So not only is he a player that can demolish supposed less-illustrious sides, but he steps up when it matters and despite only being in the Spanish capital for 15 months, he’s already scored some iconic goals for arguably the world's biggest club.

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He also seems very settled in Madrid, as we can see here courtesy of the club’s Twitter account:

It’s almost as if those who frequent the Santiago Bernabeu don’t quite know how lucky they are to have him.

Perhaps it’s because stylistically, Bale is similar to Cristiano Ronaldo and isn't quite at his level? Maybe it’s because of the dazzling performances put in by Isco during the 25-year-old’s recent spell out of the team with injury? Maybe the supporters would simply prefer a more glamourous name?

Regardless, there’s little denying that Bale is a world-class talent and a player who Carlo Ancelotti should be looking to build his team around for many years. Of course, the Welshman would improve United’s squad with his index of exceptional qualities, but at this juncture, Van Gaal has many more pressing concerns afoot as he plots a Red Devils renaissance.