Manchester United Transfer News: Latest on Gareth Bale, Neymar Rumours

Manchester United could secure a deal for Real Madrid's Gareth Bale in the summer, but their chances of signing Barcelona star Neymar have all but disappeared.

The Red Devils have long been linked with the Primera Division duo as they look to make a high-profile signing who could boost their struggling side, per James Ducker in the Times.

According to Duncan Wright in the Sun, indications suggest Bale is the more likely to return to the Premier League, while Neymar is set to commit his future to Barca by signing a new deal with the Camp Nou club.

A Sun source said a Bale switch to Old Trafford seems more "natural" than the Brazil captain moving to Manchester:

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United definitely need a player like Neymar—they haven’t really had a genuine superstar since Cristiano Ronaldo or David Beckham. There’s no doubt the interest from them is serious, and commercially they would make the money back on him if they met the [£144 million buyout] clause. It all comes down to whether the player wants that move.

But United signing Bale is the more likely deal, and maybe it is time for him to move on from Madrid. Bale at Old Trafford seems a more natural fit.

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Bale moved to Real from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013 for £85.3 million—a world-record figure.

He won the Champions League and the Copa del Rey with Los Blancos in his first season at the club and is enjoying excellent form this term, having netted 13 times and provided eight assists in 15 Primera Division appearances, per WhoScored.com. 

However, per Wright, his continued struggles for fitness have left both Bale and Real "considering a summer move" and United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward "has been informed a transfer is possible."

While Bale, 26, has improved at Real and been excellent in the main, his relationship with Blancos fans has sometimes seemed strained, and he was recently branded a "failure" by Ramon Tremosa, a European Parliament member looking into the Welshman's transfer, per La Vanguardia (via Sport).

If he could be tempted into leaving Madrid, United would be a natural destination for him.

He would be a superstar at Old Trafford, the natural successor to Wayne Rooney as the club's biggest name, and he could also help propel them back into the upper echelons of English and European football.

His arrival at United could also potentially coincide with the appointment of Jose Mourinho, who looks set to succeed Louis van Gaal in the summer, per Samuel Luckhurst in the Manchester Evening News.

The Portuguese previously revealed to ESPN's Roger Bennett that he tried to sign Bale when he was in charge at Real. Thus he would surely welcome his arrival at Old Trafford.

Neymar, on the other hand, does indeed look settled at Barca, and it always seemed unlikely he could be tempted away from the Blaugrana, Europe's best side, according to Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe:

The 24-year-old's prospects could not be improved by moving to Old Trafford, but Bale could seemingly be tempted by a switch back to the Premier League.