Manchester United haven’t given up on trying to sign Real Madrid star Gareth Bale, according to reports in Spain.
Manchester United have maintained interest in the Welshman ever since he headed to Spain in a then world record £85million deal three years ago.
Sky Sports have suggested that United looked to have been forced to end their pursuit of Bale after he agreed on a new £350,000-a-week contract with Real.
However, Spanish website Diario Madridista say United have made a last-ditch attempt to hijack this agreement by contacting Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett over a Premier League comeback.
Jose Mourinho has reportedly made Bale his No 1 transfer target for next summer following the £89m return of Paul Pogba last month.
And the Spanish outlet claim Red Devils chiefs are apparently willing to offer Barnett’s client a huge £16.7m-a-year wage packet in a bid to convince him to leave the Bernabeu.
Bale has apparently made it clear he is willing to extend his contract with the La Liga giants.
But when Real president Florentino Perez was asked if he was set to make Bale the club’s second highest-paid player behind Cristiano Ronaldo, he apparently said: “Not on €17m (£14.2m) net per year, much less.”
The latest reports claim Madrid are unwilling to pay him more than 10 million a year. That figure would include variables related to his individual performance and also the team as a collective.
Meanwhile, Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett hasn’t wasted time and has mentioned that Manchester United are extremely interested and would be able to offer 20m a season.
And this failure to meet Bale’s demands could open the door for United to swoop.