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What's the story?
Manchester United have been linked with Antoine Griezmann for a couple of seasons now, and United manager Jose Mourinho has expressed his admiration of the French striker on several occasions. However, lately, it has seemed less and less likely that Griezmann will end up in Manchester, with Barcelona doggedly pursuing the striker.
Mourinho is hardly short of options, and according to reports from ESPN, Manchester United may shift their attention to Gareth Bale. Should they make a move, it will be the third time that the club has attempted to bring Bale to Manchester.
In case you didn't know...
Gareth Bale began his senior career as a left-back at Southampton and established himself as a first-team regular in the 2006-07 season. His performances were noticed by Tottenham Hotspur, who signed the youngster in 2007. Bale sustained a serious injury in the beginning of his stint at Tottenham, sidelining him for an extended period.
Bale worked his way back into the team by 2009, and was soon moved into a more attacking position by Spurs manager Harry Redknapp. He performed exceedingly well in his new role, and took the league by storm, winning the Premier League Player of the Year in the 2012-13 season.
Real Madrid came calling in 2013, taking Bale to the Bernabeu for a then world-record transfer fee of £85m. Bale initially struggled due to a succession of injuries, but gradually worked his way into Madrid's first-team squad. He has enjoyed four immensely successful seasons at Real Madrid, winning ten major titles with Los Blancos, including three Champions League trophies and one La Liga title.
The heart of the matter
United have struggled to create goals in the last few games, scoring only twice in their last four Premier League matches. If the problem persists after the return of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic against Newcastle United, Jose Mourinho may look to sign an attacking player in January.
While Gareth Bale has put in several stellar performances for Real Madrid, the Spanish champions may be a tad embittered with how susceptible he has been to injury. Bale has been injured for large parts of his time at Real Madrid, and the club may be keen to offload him.
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Author's Take
Bale has four years left on his contract, meaning that Manchester United will have to pay Madrid a sum close to what Madrid paid Tottenham in 2013. It seems unlikely that United will make a move for Bale in January, but if they can scrounge together the funds, a summer move for Bale may go through.
