Report: Gareth Bale Set for Julen Lopetegui Talks Amid Manchester United Rumours

Gareth Bale will reportedly meet with Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui to discuss his future amid rumours he is a Manchester United target.

According to the Mirror's John Richardson, the player and coach will have a "crunch meeting" regarding the role Bale is set to play at the club next season.

United—who are said to be his preferred destination should he leave—will be monitoring the situation ahead of a potential £90 million move.

After coming off the bench to score twice in the UEFA Champions League final in May, Bale was quick to make clear his desire to play more at the Santiago Bernabeu, igniting speculation about his future.

A calf problem kept Bale out of action for 14 matches in the first half of last season, but despite being fit for the remainder of the campaign, he made just 26 starts in all competitions.

In the Champions League, he was an unused substitute in two knockout matches, and in the remaining five, he played a total of 128 minutes.

After he was left on the bench for the first leg of their semi-final with Bayern Munich, SB Nation's Lucas Navarrete felt it was clear the winger's time in the Spanish capital was up:

Scoring five goals in his four appearances preceding the Champions League final wasn't enough to secure him a starting berth, either, though his brace off the bench—which included an incredible bicycle kick—remind us that he deserves more time on the pitch.

He finished the campaign with 21 goals and seven assists, strong tallies that are all the more impressive given his playing time.

However, Zinedine Zidane is no longer in charge in Madrid. He stepped down shortly after the final, and Bale may find himself more central to new boss Lopetegui's plans now that Cristiano Ronaldo has left for Juventus.

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According to Richardson, club president Florentino Perez does not want to lose both Ronaldo and Bale in the same summer and is only likely to consider it if the Real are able to recruit two of their top targets, which include Neymar, Eden Hazard, Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappe.

Madrid may be able to use the £99.2 million they received for Ronaldo to fund the move for one such marquee signing, but to sign two of them in one transfer window seems unlikely—even for the European champions.

Bale will likely be handed a key role in the wake of the Portuguese superstar's exit, and with that, he will have little reason to want to leave a club fresh off a third consecutive Champions League triumph.