Will Manchester United target Gareth Bale, Ivan Perisic or Willian?

Manchester United have already signed Fred (£52m), Diogo Dalot (£19.3m), and Lee Grant (£1.5m) this summer, but their transfer business is far from over. Jose Mourinho is still looking for players in two positions: a centre-back and a right-winger.

Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard have shared the duties at right wing for Manchester United for 3 seasons now. Marcus Rashford and Alexis Sanchez were used on few occasions but none of them seemed to own the position. This has been a long-standing problem for Jose Mourinho and if he is to bridge the gap between United and City this problem has to be addressed.

We take a look three-man shortlist which includes Gareth Bale, Ivan Perisic, and Willian. All of them are 29 years old so no age factor will be involved.

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Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)

Gareth Bale scored 2 goals in UCL Final against Liverpool

Gareth Bale featured 26 times for Real Madrid last season in La Liga and produced 16 goals and two assists. He has not played more than 26 matches in last thre seasons of La Liga. The reasons behind this are injuries, lack of match fitness and competition from the likes of Isco and Asensio.

There are no doubts about the Welshman's goal-scoring abilities and qualities. But he is of no use if he keeps on missing the important matches with injuries. This has been a problem for three years at Real Madrid.

Manchester United will have to pay £100m or more for the Galactico. His injury problems will bring back Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard into the Starting XI equation, again. The huge amount of money involved and the risks of injuries would not make him the first priority at Old Trafford.

Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan)

Perisic was one of the stars of Croatia's WC journey to the Finals

Ivan Perisic produced 11 goals and nine assists for Inter Milan in 37 appearances last season in Serie A. Unlike Bale, he has played more than 33 matches in every season since his arrival at Inter Milan. He has also scored 11 goals in 2016-17 season.

Perisic was one of the best players at 2018 FIFA World Cup. He scored in both semi-final and final, and has proved that he is the man for the big occasion, the type of player Manchester United have been missing in their attacking ranks even with Alexis Sanchez.

Perisic was linked to Manchester United last summer too. The deal did not materialize due to differences in his worth for both the clubs. His performances at the World Cup has surely increased his worth and it will take a lot of convincing from Jose Mourinho to bring Perisic to Old Trafford.

Willian (Chelsea)

Willian had a mixed World Cup with Brazil

Willian had 36 appearances for Chelsea last season in Premier League and produced six goals and seven assists. He was one the best players for Chelsea last season. Those stats don't seem impressive for an attacker, but Chelsea lacked a forward like Romelu Lukaku who can hold the play in opposition's half. Lukaku's presence will surely boost Willian's numbers.

Mourinho has already worked with the Brazilian during his time at Chelsea and he knows everything about the player. Willian has played at right wing for Chelsea consistently over the last 4 years, and has valuable Premier League experience. Also, he has never had serious injury problems similar to that of Perisic.

His performances last season would have made Jose Mourinho want him even more, and he will do everything in his power to reunite with the Brazilian winger. Chelsea will surely make it harder for United to get their hands on one of the star performers.

Rankings:

1) Willian

2) Ivan Perisic

3) Gareth Bale

Yes, United fans want Bale to be a Red Devil, but will they not like him when he is not even a substitute option for them after spending £100 million or more. Ranking Willian and Perisic is a difficult job, but Willian's PL experience surely gives him an advantage, and his performances last season simply cannot be overlooked. Also, United will have to pay more for Perisic due to his performances in the World Cup.