Man Utd have fallen short in their bid to win major honours this season, with the FA Cup now their last chance of winning silverware.
The Red Devils were unable to keep up with the pace set by rivals Man City in the Premier League title race, while they crashed out of the League Cup and Champions League earlier than expected.
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In turn, in order to bridge that gap to their rivals, investment this summer is expected as Jose Mourinho will undoubtedly hope that the club are willing to bring in reinforcements.
According to Don Balon, as re-reported by The Express, Cristiano Ronaldo is said to be aware that Gareth Bale is set for a move to Old Trafford, and he will take the currently vacant No.10 shirt at the club.
On one hand, it’s easy to see why the Welshman would be linked with an exit from the Bernabeu, as he has struggled to establish himself as a permanent fixture in the starting line-up as Zinedine Zidane has left him out of some high profile games in recent months.
The 28-year-old has been limited to 33 games in all competitions, scoring 14 goals and providing eight assists.
As a result, coupled with his injury history, it’s understandable to suggest that his future in Madrid is under doubt. However, it seems an ambitious stretch in the report to suggest that he’s already got his squad number at Man Utd lined up.
The Red Devils seemingly have plenty of competition in that department already, with Alexis Sanchez, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata fighting for places behind the main striker.
In turn, it remains to be seen if adding Bale to that mix is the most sensible idea, assuming no one leaves to create space in the squad for him, with other departments in need of being addressed with the midfield in particular in mind given Michael Carrick’s upcoming retirement and Marouane Fellaini’s expiring contract.