Manchester United Transfer News: Gareth Bale Hopes Ignited by Louis Van Gaal

Manchester United are reportedly still hoping to sign Real Madrid's Gareth Bale before the end of the summer transfer window.

That's according to the Daily Mail's Ian Ladyman:

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Van Gaal has told friends in the past week he thinks Bale can be persuaded to leave Real Madrid at some stage. 

When, during United’s pre-season tour, he spoke of the creative player he needs, it is understood he had Bale in mind.

The chances of Woodward pulling off that deal soon are slight, especially as relations with Real Madrid are not great while the Spaniards try to prise David de Gea away from Old Trafford.

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Ladyman also reports the Red Devils are still interested in Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller and Southampton's Sadio Mane.

The club's summer transfer window took a turn for the worse earlier this week when Barcelona's Pedro opted to sign with Premier League rivals, rather than the Red Devils. While some, like the Manchester Evening News' Stuart Mathieson, claim United made the conscious decision not to sign the Spaniard, most fans and pundits seem to agree the club simply messed up the deal.

Copa90 put it this way:

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Leaked footage of when Geoff Shreeves asked van Gaal if he was bothered Pedro chose Chelsea over United... https://t.co/vMTn9vaBnO

— Copa90 (@Copa90) August 20, 2015"

Ed Woodward did a fantastic job convincing several high-profile targets of moving to Old Trafford earlier this summer, and with Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin, Memphis Depay and Matteo Darmian all joining the club, there's little to complain about.

The Red Devils could still do with one marquee signing to bolster the attack, however, having scored just one goal through two Premier League matches so far―Kyle Walker gifted the Mancunians the win against Tottenham Hotspur by scoring an own goal.

Bale suffered through an inconsistent 2014-15 campaign with Real Madrid, putting in a number of lacklustre performances on his way to 13 goals and nine assists, per WhoScored.com. Entering the 2015-16 campaign, the fans' support of the Welsh winger is at an all-time low and the 26-year-old has done little to endear himself during pre-season, as shared by AS English:

The lack of fan support has fuelled speculation he could be on his way back to England, although both player and club have yet to give any indication their marriage may be coming to an end soon. According to MailOnline's Alex Sharp, Real made Bale the most expensive player of all time back in 2013, and there's every reason to believe the club still has big plans for him.

While United are one of the few clubs in the world with the financial might to pull off a hypothetical move, a transfer in 2015 still seems highly unlikely. Tancredi Palmeri of beIN Sports agrees:

As long as the Welshman's struggles in Madrid continue, this rumour won't be going anywhere. United need some extra firepower in attack, and while a star striker would be preferred over another winger at this point, Bale's status as a proven Premier League commodity and world-class finisher means there's no way Van Gaal would pass up the opportunity to sign him.

But one average season won't bring an end to Bale's ambition of shining for the Spanish giants. Things could change if he suffers through a similar campaign in 2015-16, but for now, the former Spurs star seems very much off limits.

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