Marca dip a toe in Gareth Bale to Manchester United in their Tuesday edition.
The Spanish newspaper point out that before the English media started again recently on the idea of Bale going to Old Trafford as part of a deal for Paul Pogba, they’d been pushing the story first.
It’s explained Real Madrid are still ‘working on the idea’ of sending the former Tottenham player to Manchester United, although it feels like that’s been the case for over a year.
Bale being used as bait to get Pogba has long been Madrid’s plan, and it’s something which would work out well for them, but they need the Premier League club to also be keen on the idea.
Perhaps strangely, Marca say Bale has been using the current international break to find out how Manchester United fans would receive him if he signed for the club in the winter market, which would be the ideal scenario for Real Madrid.
Quite how Bale would find that out isn’t explained.
There’s been annoyance in the Spanish sport media that the player even joined up with Wales this month, given he hasn’t been appearing for Real Madrid. That irritation was further underlined when a Wales’ fan was seen with a banner saying: ‘Wales, Golf, Madrid. In that order.’
That Bale found it funny is also putting noses out of joint.
Any move still remains reliant on what Manchester United think. Madrid, Bale and even United fans can be up for it, but if those in charge at the Red Devils are not, then nothing happens.