Man Utd a nice price to sign Gareth Bale
Bale on the move this summer?
Gareth Bale’s future was again a hot topic for conversation as we enter spring with bookmakers taking bets on the Real Madid and Wales attacker’s next club. Gossip columns have been filled with Bale rumours for the last two transfer windows, but is there any truth in it all?
The 28-year-old secured a move from Tottenham to La Liga giants Blancos in 2013 and his time in Spain has been a success so far but the Cardiff-born boy has seen his game-time severely limited in recent months, used only as a sub in the 2016/17 Champions League final when coming off the bench after 77 minutes, the game over by that point.
It’s little surprise to see Premier League clubs lead the way in the betting to be Bale’s next club with the likes of Tottenham and Manchester United already making it known they’d be interested in splashing the cash to bring the big name signing in.
Bet Victor have been the most active firm on this front and have Spurs as favourite at 3/1. A return to White Hart Lane would make sense for both parties and a lot of things have changed in London since Bale last pulled on the white. The club are now a regular in the top-four, making progress in the Champions League and are often respected in the pre-season Premier League betting markets. The club certainly has the money to deal with Madrid financially, and with a new stadium on the horizon, fans are hopeful for the future.
Gareth announced recently he’s expecting a third child with fiancée Emma Rhys-Jones and that hat-trick may also pave the way for the family man to make a welcome return to the UK. Jose Mourinho is 4/1 second favourite to land his target and that’s really interesting as the Special One has a bargaining tool others don’t – David de Gea.
De Gea the key bargaining tool?
Real Madrid have been desperate to sign the United shot-stopper for years and de Gea has also made no secret of his desire to play for the Champions League kings. Could a swap deal work for both managers with Bale coming to the theatre of dreams and de Gea packing his bags? It’s very likely and there wouldn’t be an awful lot of money required from either side as we imagine the value of both players is similar in the eyes of their current employers.
That alone makes the 4/1 a huge price and punters would be best advised to get on early and secure the value as we’re certain Jose will stick his spoon in the pot and mix things up as we approach the opening of the summer transfer window.
It’s also worth remembering it’s not just Jose who values Bale at United, the club have been tipped to sign the player for some time, even before he joined Tottenham in 2007, missing the chance to snatch him up from Southampton. Spurs paid just £5m for the wonderkid. Wow – that’s got to go down as an incredible piece of business from The Lilywhites and an opportunity missed from United.
Will they get things right at the second time of asking? We certainly think so and, at the current price, it looks a risk worth taking for a long-term interest at an attractive quote.