Old Trafford side set sights on White Hart Lane attacker.
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Man United are set to launch a mammoth bid for Tottenham winger Gareth Bale as David Moyes sets about moves to bring in summer additions to strengthen his Old Trafford squad.
CaughtOffside understands that the Premier League title holders have deliberately held back on expressing any concrete interest in the 23 year old Welsh international as the club had hoped to lure former attacker Cristiano Ronaldo back from Real Madrid. However secret talks between outgoing chief executive David Gill and Bernabeu president Florentino Perez appear to left Man United realising that such a move would be next to impossible.
This has led United to direct their attention to Bale, with Sir Alex Ferguson advising his board to dig deep and make a substantial offer for the Tottenham star, especially now that the North London club have failed to secure a Champions League berth for the coming season.
Buoyed by the completion of a number of big money sponsorship deals Man United’s board are keen to bring in a ‘Marquee’ signing this summer as something of a statement of intent to help alleviate any talk of uncertainty at the club following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson after 26 years at the helm, moves to sign a big name are perhaps even more pressing given that Wayne Rooney has put in a verbal transfer request.
Moyes has earmarked moves to bring in more effective wide attacking options given the fairly average campaigns the likes of Luis Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young and Nani have had this season and the Toffees boss is keen to see Bale pursued by his new employers.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy would be loathed to lose his side’s prized asset and showed he is more than capable of keeping hold of top talents as evidenced by the manner in which he held onto Luka Modric for an extra season before the Croatian was finally given permission to seal a move to Real Madrid.
The White Hart Lane side’s failure to secure a Champions League berth doesn’t just cause a concern in relation to the disappointment this generates among their playing staff it also costs the club a massive sum in potential lost revenue and as such Levy may well have to consider sizable offers.
Man United are ready to mount a bid of as much as £60m to sign the former Southampton man, such is the high-esteem they hold the youngster, but would prefer to offset some of the cost in the form of a player exchange plus cash deal.
The Old Trafford side were willing to offer in excess of that sum to Real Madrid for Ronaldo and feel that such an offer for a player five years his junior, with the footballing world at his feet is an offer they feel is worth making.
Such a move could see the likes of Nani, Anderson and Ashley Young used as makeweights though it’s unknown whether such an offer would interest Levy or indeed Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas.
Though Tottenham have publicly stated their intention to keep Bale Man United feel confident that once their interest in his services is publicly known the PFA Footballer of the Year will consider his future and may well then elect to force the issue by requesting a transfer.
Bale is tied up to a long term contract and as such his value in the marketplace will be high but Man United are ready to make a big money offer for the player, who this season has scored 20 Premier League goals and attracted the interest of a number of Europe’s ‘Elite’ after another excellent campaign.
Man United will hope that the chance to follow in the footsteps of boyhood hero Ryan Giggs will be a prospect Gareth Bale will find impossible to turn down.