Tottenham ahead of United in the race to sign Gareth Bale
According to ESPN, Spurs will try to bring Bale back on the express wishes of José Mourinho, who tried to sign him when he was at United.
Gareth Bale is stirring interest in England. The most keen to take the Real Madrid forward is Manchester United, especially as they look set to miss out on Jadon Sancho with Borussia Dortmund refusing point blank to negotiate a lower price, but Bale's old club Tottenham are also considering a move for the Welshman. According to ESPN, Spurs, who Bale left in 2013 to join Real Madrid for 101 million euros, are now the frontrunners in the situation.
It remains to be seen what Tottenham will be prepared to offer, although Madrid might be resigned to accept a no-cost loan deal and also possibly pay part of Bale's huge salary (14.5 million euros net per season); whatever it takes to get a player who doesn't figure in Zidane's plans off their payroll. The relationship between the coach and Bale has hit a point of no return and the best option would be for the player to leave Madrid.
Mourinho keen to take Bale
José Mourinho is eager to bring Bale back to north London. The coach has tried to lure Bale back to England in the past when he was manager at Manchester United; during a pre-season friendly in 2017, Mou was captured on camera saying: "I can't sign you because you aren't saying anything," - his way of urging the winger to publicly say he wanted to leave. That move never materialised, Madrid renewed Bale's contract until 2022 and the situation started to slowly decline, eventually reaching the untenable point it is in today.