Report: Real Madrid Could Sell Bale to Manchester United to Clear Room for Mbappe
Real Madrid are prepared to sanction the sale of Gareth Bale in order to finance a move for Monaco's Kylian Mbappe, according to Goal.
Monaco has already seen a number of key players depart during this summer's transfer window after the French club's successes in both domestic and European competition. Premier League side Manchester City were made to shell out €50m for Bernardo Silva and a further €57.5m to secure the services of Benjamin Mendy. Moreover, Monaco received €45 million for the sale of 22-year-old defensive midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko to Chelsea.
In turn, it is no surprise that City and Madrid are in a race for Mbappe's signature. The Sky Blues are reportedly in 'advanced talks' to sign Mbappe in a deal that could break the world transfer record.
While the Galacticos are in contention for Mbappe, City's higher-ups are looking to reach a swift conclusion in talks with their Monaco counterparts. In fact, sources close to City believe that Madrid must sell Wales international Bale to cross-town rivals United to initiate serious interest.
Monaco has proved to be tough negotiators thus far in the transfer window, and it seems their hard line stance is unlikely to change. The Ligue 1 champions have demanded 'mega money' for their sought after forward, which could see potential suitors pay upwards of £150m.
Mbappe would undoubtedly represent a welcome addition to almost any squad in the world, but one wonders whether the 18-year-old attacker is truly worth the world-record fee. Given Mbappe's relatively young age, his development or future injury problems could very well see the player's form dip considerably. Additionally, many of the Frenchman's 26 goals last term came against lesser opposition in France as it remains to be seen whether Mbappe can consistently produce against higher quality opposition.
