#1. Gareth Bale
Current Club: Real Madrid CF
Yes, yes, I can almost hear you mutter – wasn’t one fantasy signing enough for the list? Well, to be honest, not quite – since a) the very point of the list is to delve into the realms of fantasy, and b) this one is far more likely to go through than Neymar. While he’ll still cost a pretty penny, Gareth Bale would likely be available for half the prize of the Brazilian and having made his name in the rough and tumble of the Premier League, would hit the ground running.
Strong, powerful in the air, fast, and possessed of an absolute thunderb****** of a shot, the Welshman would be the perfect replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo and at 28-years old, he’s at the very top of his game. Just as with Neymar, he has to play second fiddle – this to the other part of the two-man football king act – and at United he could properly unleash the full extent of his footballing abilities. He could line up on the right side of a 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 or a 3-4-3, but as he showed with Tottenham Hotspur he also has the ability to play behind the striker... so if United go with a 3-5-2 like they did for the second half of their exhibition match against the LA Galaxy, he could even line up alongside Romelu Lukaku!
Thing is though, with United’s increasingly soured relationship with Real Madrid at an all-time low after the David de Gea and Alvaro Morata transfer fiascos, Florentino Perez may not be willing to listen... if the transfer did happen, it’s hard to look beyond United for the title.
Potential impact of transfer: 10/10
Likelihood of transfer: 4/10