The relentless rumors surrounding Gareth Bale's exit from Real Madrid escalated on Wednesday, with the Express revealing the Welshman has accepted a summer move to Manchester United. Per the outfit's sources, the bid is said to be in the neighborhood of £120 million.
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Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal refused to discuss a potential swoop on Tuesday, but didn't rule out the club's attempt at a record transfer.
"I cannot discuss that with you," van Gaal said (via the Express). "I discuss that with my CEO and not anyone from the media."
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Wednesday's report only adds fuel to the transfer fire.
The question is: How sensible are the aforementioned rumors?
Since joining from Tottenham, the 25-year-old featured in 56 matches across European and domestic competition. In addition to his 30 goals and 20 assists, Bale lifted the Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup title. Legend has it, Marc Bartra is still chasing down his legendary finish at Mestalla Stadium.
His achievements are cemented in the pantheons of the most-storied club in world football. A return to the Premier League is beyond senseless and would derail the progress of a legacy many have failed to achieve. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has shown no signs of benching Bale in favor for his Spanish counterpart, Isco. Any rumor built on that premise has no foundation, even if it brings a £120 million price tag.
Besides, as lucrative as that sounds, it still falls short of Bale's £786 million buy-out clause.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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