Manchester United Transfer News: Huge Names, Targets Eyed by Louis van Gaal

Manchester United have once again been linked with a sensational move for Real Madrid star Gareth Bale, this time in a swap deal for David De Gea.

According to Jeremy Cross of the Daily Star, United are hopeful the Spaniard and £65 million will be enough to land the Welshman. Cross cited a "club source," who said:

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This would be the perfect deal for the club. It would cost them a lot of money but Gareth Bale is one of the world's biggest stars, while goalkeeper De Gea has made it clear he wants to leave.

It would suit all parties but there is not much time left and deals like these tend to take weeks because of everything involved. But United remain determined to bring in a big, big name before the window closes.

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Football writer Liam Canning believes the transfer would be excellent business by United, but he doubts a deal will go through:

Football columnist Guillem Balague also firmly believes Bale will remain at the Bernabeu this season, but he admitted United's interest in the forward is genuine, per Sky Sports: "This summer Manchester United were willing to pay a huge amount for Bale but learnt quickly he was not going anywhere."

Lastly, and most importantly, Bale himself has frequently reiterated his desire to succeed with Los Blancos despite still receiving jeers from some sections of the Madrid faithful following a difficult spell last season.

According to ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan, he said: "The fans are good with me, and it is a dream for me to play for Real Madrid."

The winger is yet to win over the Madridistas, but he still managed to rack up 17 goals and 12 assists in all competitions last term, so United's interest is understandable.

Should the 26-year-old struggle to impress in the Bernabeu's high-pressure environment again this season, then a move next summer could certainly be on the cards.

For now, though, Bale is clearly not going anywhere.

Another player unlikely to depart his side is John Stones, but the Red Devils are reportedly the only club still in pursuit of the young defender.

That's according to the Independent (h/t Daily Star's Colin Harvey), which noted Chelsea are no longer in the running for the youngster after seeing four bids for his services turned down, the largest of which amounted to £38 million.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Canning believes the 21-year-old has a big future ahead of him but feels the reported fees are too large to justify:

Most likely, though, what scuppered Chelsea's attempts to land Stones will also hinder United.

Everton are clearly determined to keep Stones no matter the amount of money offered and rejected the youngster's recent transfer request, per their official Twitter feed:

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pic.twitter.com/pl8Z3el9N5

— Everton (@Everton) August 27, 2015"

Further, Everton would arguably be even more reluctant to allow the player to move to Old Trafford given the clubs' recent history in the transfer market.

While Marouane Fellaini's transfer was a successful switch for both sides, United threatened to sour their relationship over their pursuit of Leighton Baines.

The Toffees are therefore unlikely to welcome more interest from the Red Devils in their key players.

Stones' transfer saga looks set to rumble on until deadline day, but don't expect him to be wearing a United shirt come September 2.