Five days until the 20/21 Premier League season kicks off for Manchester United have still only signed one player this entire summer transfer window. So what’s the issue here? Apparently, the fruitless pursuit of Jadon Sancho has been a major obstacle to getting other transfer business done.
It’s like United put all their eggs in one basket, so where do we go from here? Now we look at fall back options for right sided attacking players. Gareth Bale to Man United? That’s an oldy but goody, a song we’ve heard many times before, and it’s back again now.
Bale has said it publicly, Real Madrid are making it difficult for him to leave and find a fresh start elsewhere. He claims they have blocked his potential moves at the last minute. This despite the Welshman not being a part of Zinedine Zidane’s plans at the club.
According to the Daily Star, via the Express, United CEO Ed Woodward “would prefer to take the 31-year-old on loan than buy him outright for around £22m.”
The report goes on to state that United were interested at this time last year, but put off by Bale’s astronomical salary. Bale is way down the pecking order at the Bernabeu, but ESPN reports that Real are still “holding out for a fee of £18m.”
Meanwhile NBC claims that Madrid are taking a more accommodating stance, “reportedly willing to pay half of Bale’s $750,000-per-week wages and accept a cut-rate transfer fee of $28 million.”
Bottom line, something needs to happen in the Spanish capital to resolve this situation. Madrid are going to have to lower the price, and accept the idea of cutting their losses. It’s only the way Bale can move on, and the current situation is not good for anybody.
And continuing the theme of long linked winger targets/coming back to a player United have coveted but been unable to close a deal on, let’s talk Ivan Perisic; again.
According to the Telegraph, United are back in for the Croatian sensation, whose long term future at Inter Milan remains in doubt. Perisic, who admitted he was close to an Old Trafford switch, until a manager change prompted him to stay in 2017, spent last season on loan with Bayern Munich.
Since a full time move didn’t happen, he could be had now, for the right price. Watch this space.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.