Man United target Bale and Ronaldo – Report

Matt Stead

Manchester United have identified Real Madrid pair Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo as their main transfer targets for next summer, according to the Sunday Mirror.

United are known to have held an interest in Bale throughout this summer, while rumours of a Ronaldo return have pretty much been floating around since his departure for Real in 2009.

According to an exclusive from the Sunday Mirror’s Simon Mullock, 26-year-old forward Bale will be United’s ‘main priority’ come 2016, with the Red Devils increasingly confident they can land the Wales international.

A slight stumbling block in negotiations could be the relationship between the two clubs. United and Real have been embroiled in a rather petty debate over the collapse of David De Gea’s move to the Bernabeu, with each side blaming the other.

However, ‘a high-level source’ – possibly going by the name Ed Woodward – has told the Mirror that United are confident any potential future deals will not be hindered as a result.

They also report on the ‘growing belief’ that Ronaldo could return to Old Trafford next summer if the Portuguese’s relationship with manager Rafael Benitez does not improve.

So basically, United wasted the summer just passed targeting Bale (and Neymar and Thomas Muller and so on…), have since learned from their mistakes, and will now target Bale next summer. If true; it’s foolproof.