Jose Mourinho eyeing late raid for Gareth Bale

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is understood to be eyeing a late swoop to sign Real Madrid attacker Gareth Bale. The Red Devils are prepared to pay up a club-record sum of around €100m for the Welshman, although the deal could be hindered by the lack of a suitable replacement.

According to Don Balon, the Wales international is keen to work alongside Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, and he would turn down the prospect of joining another Premier League club. However, the deal looks unlikely to happen in this summer’s transfer window with Los Blancos president Florentino Perez having no ready-made replacement in hand for the Welsh footballer.

Juventus’ Paulo Dybala and Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann are among the probable targets who could replace the winger at the Bernabeu, but the club do not have sufficient time to convince either club into a deal.

As a result, Perez will probably stick with the ex-Spurs star, who continues to get the support of manager Zinedine Zidane. The Wales international was booed off by the club’s supporters during the 2-2 draw against Valencia last weekend, but Zidane has backed the Welshman to shrug off his disappointment and come up with a solid performance after the international break.

Spanish prospect Marco Asensio has already hit great heights since the start of the season and Bale potentially faces the prospect of being dropped to the bench once Cristiano Ronaldo is back from his five-match ban.

Asensio has already notched four goals in five outings for the European champions this campaign, and Zidane will be urged to offer regular playing time to the youngster in order to commit him to a new long-term contract.

Bale had an injury-plagued 2016/17 season where he managed just nine goals in 27 outings, and he will have a lot to prove during the ongoing campaign in order to maintain a regular starting spot, ahead of the likes of Isco and Asensio.

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