Man United not giving up hope of signing Gareth Bale

With Iker Casillas signalling his intent to leave Real Madrid this summer David de Gea is edging ever closer to the Old Trafford exit door.

However, the younger Spaniard’s expected move to his hometown could still trigger the Red Devils’ capture of long-term target Gareth Bale, according to reports.

The Evening Standard claims that while the chances of Bale being used as a makeweight in any deal taking De Gea to the Bernabeu are remote they are “not entirely out of the question”.

So far United have only enquired about the possibility of a swap deal involving Karim Benzema but with that query being soundly rebuffed attention could turn once again to the Welshman.

The official line at Real is that the former Tottenham and Southampton winger is going nowhere but that is the official line of any club any time one of their star players is in demand.

Bale has endured a tough time in recent months, been booed by sections of the crowd and being confronted by angry supporters on his way out of the stadium.

The player’s representatives have bemoaned the fact that Bale is sometimes overlooked on the pitch in favour of Cristiano Ronaldo and with new manager Rafa Benitez set to make the Portuguese superstar the focal point of his attack that pattern is unlikely to change any time soon.

At present United’s chances of landing Bale are rated at 6/4 by Ladbrokes, with Manchester City (8/1), Chelsea (12/1) and Bayern Munich (20/1) distant outsiders.

Madrid still looks likely to be his home come the start of the new season but as the betting suggests if he’s going to go anywhere it’ll be Old Trafford.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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