BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson has insisted that Man Utd should consider a swap deal involving Paul Pogba and Gareth Bale this summer.
As noted by the Daily Mail, Real Madrid continue to be heavily linked with a swoop for the Frenchman, albeit it’s suggested that Man Utd will only be persuaded to consider an offer in excess of £160m.
SEE MORE: Manchester United’s infamous five: Worst permanent signings since Sir Alex Ferguson retired
Another potential option which could be put on the table is a swap deal, with Zinedine Zidane expected to oversee a major overhaul this summer following Madrid’s underwhelming and bitterly disappointing campaign.
Lawrenson believes that Man Utd should give thought to a possible swap involving Pogba and Bale, as he evidently still highly rates the Welshman and believes he could be a hugely positive influence at Old Trafford.
“In terms of Paul Pogba, I’m just so not convinced,” he told Starsport. “If you could swap him Gareth Bale, swap him all day.
“I think Bale is a big-game player and will get you loads of goals. He’s also left-sided which is unusual. That might be the way forward.
“I get the impression that all the players like Pogba. You can like him or loathe him, but if one week you’re six out of 10 and the next you’re eight out of ten it drives the manager mad.”
Such a swap would certainly work for Real Madrid and Zidane, as although Pogba’s form has been quite erratic this season, he’s still bagged 16 goals and 11 assists in 45 appearances.
In contrast, Bale has managed 14 goals and six assists in 42 outings, while he turns 30 this summer and has a well-documented history with injury troubles.
With that in mind, it has to be questioned as to whether or not it would be a sensible deal from a United perspective, as the last thing that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs is to use a significant portion of his summer transfer budget on a talented but albeit unreliable player.
Time will tell if such an agreement is discussed, but it would be a surprise to see Man Utd let their best player leave full stop let alone in any swap deal as Solskjaer would surely prefer to build around his midfield star rather than try to fill the void he would leave behind if he does move on.
