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Real Madrid has always had the transfer policy of ‘repair regardless of complaints’- Florentino Perez and his board has always sold one of the key members of his side and brought in the hottest superstar of the previous year to their squad every summer.In 2013. they sold Mesut Ozil to Arsenal to fund the world record move for Gareth Bale while ahead of this season they sold their best player of the season gone by, Angel Di Maria, and brought in the likes of James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos.With the transfer window just months away, it is almost certain that Gareth Bale would be the next one to leave the Bernabeu. Lately, the Welshman’s performances have come under heavy scrutiny and 68.3% of fans have asked for him to be dropped from the squad. The recent attack on him by some of the clubs’ fans is likely to be the final nail on the coffin and would be enough to persuade him to make a move from the Spanish capital in the summer.Even though there is still time for Bale to turn his fortunes around, the probability of him staying on is extremely low. We take a look at 5 possible destinations for the Welsh Wizard if he indeed decides to move in the summer.
#1 Manchester United
Old Trafford is the most obvious choice of them all; having already been linked with Manchester United a couple of times now, it would not be a surprise if United makes him their top priority in the summer. With United well clear off the Financial Fair Play obligations, the fee would not be an issue especially after rumours that United were ready to spend over 100 million pounds to secure him earlier.
Tactically, Bale would be a welcome addition to a side that has always loved using width through the flanks. The way Manchester United have played since they shifted to the club’s traditional 4-2-3-1 formation has been incredible and in Bale, they would have a winger who could feed his teammates as well as score goals himself.
With the rumours that Louis Van Gaal is an ardent admirer of Bale doing the rounds, there is every possibility that we could be watching an attacking unit of Wayne Rooney upfront and the trio of Angel Di Maria, Juan Mata and Gareth Bale behind him, next season; definitely something worth waiting for.
#2 Manchester City
If there is one club who would definitely try to not let Manchester United sign Bale, it would be their neighbours. The Citizens are lurking dangerously close to a season without trophies and unless Chelsea messes up horribly, City are likely to end up in a tussle for the 2nd place finish in the league.
One major issue this season for City has been that there have not been enough goals from the midfield, especially the wide midfielders. Although the likes of Samir Nasri, Jesus Navas and James Milner have played well, they have not been able to provide enough goals with a tally of 2,0 and 3 goals respectively. Bale would definitely be a significant upgrade on Navas or Milner on the right and could provide an alternate attacking outlet to Aguero, on whom most of the pressure of scoring has been on.
Manchester City does have the issue of Financial Fair Play though. As City have other areas like central midfield to strengthen, they will have to spend their cash wisely and Bale would not come cheap for sure. City would have to let go off players like Stevan Jovetic, Navas and Edin Dzeko in order to regulate the FFP and sign their man, which would be really tricky.
#3 Paris Saint Germain
If Bale decides against a return to England, the one club in the rest of Europe that have the cash to splurge on him would be Paris St. Germain. Owned by Qatar Sports Investments, the Parisians are among one of the richest clubs in the world right now. However, PSG are in a spot of bother with the FFP regulations, having spent some mind boggling amounts in the recent transfer windows. In order to secure Bale, they would have to let go off at least 2 or 3 star players from the side.
However, with the likes of Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marco Verratti all attracting lot of bidders from elsewhere, PSG might still be able to pull the Bale move off. With PSG’s domestic title being closely challenged by Olympic Marseille, the owners will be looking for the side to regain their dominance in the League the next season and signing Bale would definitely boost their chances.
Tactically, it would not be an issue fitting in Bale into the PSG starting XI, given that they usually play a 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2, and Bale could easily slot in on the flanks. With Lucas Moura on the other wing, PSG would have blistering pace down both wings that could probably leave behind every defenders chasing.
#4 Chelsea
The criteria for a midfielder to impress Jose Mourinho are simple- one, the player should be quick especially to execute counter attacks and two, should be a work horse, ready to put in the extra shift for the side. There is no surprise in the recent rumours linking Bale to Chelsea as he ticks Mourinho’s criteria boxes quite easily.
Although, Chelsea has signed Juan Cuadrado in the summer, Mourinho has not really looked fully pleased with him particularly his physicality. Signing Bale however would offer Mourinho enough options to rotate and perform at the same level across all competitions.
There is no doubt about Bale’s blistering pace and if there is some concern, it would be his defensive contribution which has been less lately for Mourinho’s liking. However, there is no one better to get the best out of his players than Mourinho and it wouldn’t be surprising to see a much different Bale under him. With Torres’ sale and Hazard’s contract extension, Chelsea is under no significant pressure of the FFP as well and therefore is likely to be in the hunt for Bale in the summer.
#5 Tottenham Hotspur
In comparison to the aforementioned clubs, Spurs seems to be the least probable yet most enticing destination for Bale. With the chances of Champions League next season looking extremely pale and with a lot of areas in the squad needing attention, Spurs might neither have the objectives nor fund to prompt their former star back to White Hart Lane.
However, having dropped a hint back in September on a possible return to White Hart Lane, it is sure that Bale still keeps Spurs in his heart. In case Bale’s season at Real spirals even further downwards, it is probable that Bale could decide to take a step backward which would mean Spurs could easily capitalize.
Mauricio Pocchettino is likely to make wholesale changes to his side next season with most of Spurs’ signings in the last two years turning out to be flops. Although there would be several issues in the squad to be addressed, a handful of players including Soldado, Paulinho, Capoue, Lamela, Chiriches and Kaboul are all likely to be sold and shall free up some significant amount to be spent. In such a scenario, if they could manage their funds well and convince to Bale to make his grand homecoming, then it would definitely be a statement by itself.
