Manchester United have reportedly been dealt something of a blow to their transfer plans regarding a move for Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale.
The Wales international’s valuation seems to have gone up after his heroics in the recent Champions League final win over Liverpool, when he came off the bench to score twice in a 3-1 win.
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This is according to Don Balon, who claim Real president Florentino Perez is now not keen on selling Bale, and that any club who wants him has to cough up as much as £195million.
This follows a report from the Daily Record that the Red Devils were keen on Bale, and it does seem a fairly understandable fee to pay considering other players who’ve recently moved for big money.
The likes of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho have no doubt inflated the market, and Bale remains one of the very best attacking players in the world.
While the 28-year-old didn’t start regularly for Madrid last season, Don Balon now suggest Perez could make him a more key player in the squad as the club prepare to change manager following Zinedine Zidane’s departure.
Bale’s Champions League heroics seem to have changed things, but it’s bad news for United, who probably cannot afford to pay quite that much, despite their financial strength and habit for going after big names in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.