Arsenal Reportedly Made Shock Move for Gareth Bale Earlier This Summer

In what has been a summer of crazy rumour's thus far, this may just be the most bizarre! It has been strongly suggested that earlier this summer Arsenal made overtures to secure the signing of Gareth Bale from Real Madrid.

As reported by Spanish outlet Don Balon via the Daily Express, Arsenal sounded out a possible move for the Welshman as a replacement for Alexis Sanchez, although the approach was swiftly shot down by Bale himself.

Whilst such a move isn't implausible, Bale's standing as a Tottenham legend would have made any such move highly unlikely. Indeed, Bale scored an incredible 55 goals in 203 appearances for the Lilywhites from his trademark left sided role, before moving to Madrid for a then record £85.1m. These included five in North London derbies against the Gunners.

Following an injury hit 2016/17 however, Bale has come under scrutiny in some quarters as the form of Isco and Marco Asensio has lead to an attacking midfield log-jam. Indeed, few would envy the task of manager Ziedine Zidane in trying to keep the ego's of his squad of superstars in check, and James Rodriguez and Alvaro have already left after becoming disillusioned with their roles.

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28-year-old Bale, speaking earlier this month, insisted he was happy with life at the Bernabeu, saying: "The truth is that I do not read any of that [specuation].Logically I am a British player and I am always linked with a return home.

"It happened with Beckham, with other Englishmen who came to Spain. Nothing new. I am happy playing in Madrid."

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Arsenal, meanwhile, would be motivated to make such an approach due to the seemingly inevitable departure of star man Alexis Sanchez.

The sensational Chilean hit 24 goals and provided 10 assists as the Gunners floundered to only 6th place in the Premier League, missing out on the Champions league for the first time in twenty years.

And, with only one year left on his current deal, the forward has indicated to manager Arsene Wenger that he wishes to leave, with Manchester City his preferred destination, while PSG have also expressed a strong interest in the player.

While the move to replace Sanchez with Bale unsurprisingly fizzled out, the Gunners have made inroads in their search for a replacement, with Monaco midfielder Thomas Lemar known to be their primary transfer target.

The 21-year-old Lemar enjoyed a breakout season in Monaco's historic 2016/17 campaign, contributing 9 goals and 10 assists as Leonardo Jardim's swashbuckling young side swept to their first Ligue 1 title in seventeen years.