Manchester United Transfer News: Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale Tipped for Move
Manchester United could sign either Cristiano Ronaldo or Gareth Bale from Real Madrid in the summer, according to Anthony Kastrinakis of The Sun.
Kastrinakis acknowledged Los Blancos' poor form—one win in their last four across all competitions—on Sky Sports' Sunday Supplement show. He suggests Madrid could be set to mix things up if they fail to win La Liga or the Champions League, a process that may see United swoop for one of their top stars:
"If things go on like this at Real Madrid there will be a massive overhaul at the end of the season and Ronaldo could decide he doesn’t want to be part of it. It all depends on Ronaldo. Do you think if he turned around and said 'I want to come back to United' then United would not have him yesterday? It all depends on what he decides to do.
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Kastrinakis believes Bale—who netted both goals during Madrid's 2-0 win over Levante on Sunday—is the most likely to remain at the Bernabeu, per Sky Sports:
"One of them will leave at worst. If Ronaldo leaves then Bale will stay put. If Bale leaves then Ronaldo will stay put, you can rest assured of that. My money would be on Bale staying because he is a personal bet of Florentino Perez, the president, who champions him and defends him after spending an exorbitant amount of money for a player of Bale’s calibre.
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On Ronaldo, Kastrinakis specified: "I think he can come back, but a lot of things have to fall into place."
The journalist's comments coincide with speculation former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson met up with CR7 in an attempt to lure him back to Old Trafford. George Bellshaw of Metro writes that Ferguson "could not resist trying to convince him that he should pull on the famous red shirt once more."
Javier G. Matallanas of AS also believes Ferguson has "raised" the idea of returning to Ronaldo.
Ronaldo is now 30 years old, ensuring his value is likely to drop rapidly in the coming years. He remains a key component of Madrid's play, scoring 30 goals in La Liga this campaign, per WhoScored.com. The Portuguese icon is the face of Madrid, their most marketable star who continually grabs headlines, even if he has struggled to replicate his stunning form since the turn of 2015.
CR7 recently vowed to remain silent until the end of the season after Madrid were booed off the pitch following their Champions League defeat to Schalke, reported by Sky Sports. He appeared irritated during Sunday's win, particularly when Bale scored from his rebound, tweeted by Football Stuff:
Former Barcelona striker Gary Lineker suggests Ronaldo's body language doesn't look great:
Madrid President Florentino Perez was forced to defend Bale's form prior to his brace, tweeted by Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC:
Both players possess the quality to lead any side in the world, and indeed, both have garnered negative reports in recent times. Louis van Gaal needs to add pace, power and attacking quality during the summer after the failed experiment of Radamel Falcao. Angel Di Maria's form underlines this, as he has struggled to live up to his billing since moving from the Bernabeu.
Either Ronaldo or Bale would amount to a stunning capture for the club. Both propelled themselves to world-record transfer fees after dominating the Premier League, where the pressure doesn't match the intensity of Madrid.
It's unlikely either would want to miss out on Champions League football, however, so United's first step must be ensuring they appear in Europe's elite competition next season.
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