BALE FOR SALE
Jose alert as Gareth faces Real axe
and has all but given up on Ivan Perisic because of Inter Milan’s £48m asking price.
United have a long-standing interest in Bale but Mourinho said recently he didn’t want to waste time and energy chasing a player who seemed happy at the Bernabeu.
But that could change if Real make it clear they want Bale out or that his first-team chances will be severely limited by Mbappe’s arrival.
With Neymar completing his world record move to Paris St-Germain last night, Monaco are set to increase their £140m valuation for Mbappe and Real need to balance the books.
Mourinho said this week he was happy that the club had signed three of his four targets this summer, but would be ecstatic to sign a player of Bale’s quality.
Meanwhile, Nemanja Matic believes United have the credentials to be Champions League winners again and have the chance to prove it by beating Real in the UEFA Super Cup.
The former Chelsea star says Tuesday’s showpiece game in Macedonia will be a valuable test as they prepare to return to Europe’s top club competition after a season’s absence.
Real became the first back-to-back winners of the Champions League in June, 10 days after United lifted the Europa League for the first time. However, the Spanish giants will be without superstar and former United player Ronaldo. They have also already lost to Mourinho’s team after a penalty shoot-out in a pre-season game in the USA a fortnight ago. Matic impressed in a 45-minute debut as United posted their sixth win out of seven warm-ups with a 2-1 victory over Sampdoria in Dublin on Wednesday and says they are now ready to put a marker down against Real. “Of course it is always a big game when you play against Real Madrid,” said the Serbian. “We are happy that we can compare our qualities with the winners of the Champions League. “They showed why they are one of the biggest clubs in the world, so it will be an interesting game for us, very hard, but we will be ready. I’m sure we will do it. “The whole world will be watching and it is a chance to show the rest of Europe that United are back. “Every game is a new challenge and it is going to be the same against them.”
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MANCHESTER United are poised to make a £90m swoop for Welsh ace Gareth Bale.
Real Madrid are set to tell Bale he is surplus to requirements as they target Monaco sensation Kylian Mbappe.
That is a major boost for United boss Jose Mourinho (above) who is a massive fan of the former Tottenham ace.
Real are confident of landing Mbappe, 18.
But boss Zinedine Zidane does not want four big names competing for three places in his attack.
Zidane wants to keep Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, leaving 28-year-old Bale as the odd man out.
Mourinho is desperate to sign a wide player