With the recent £59.7 million departure of Argentine winger Ángel Di María to Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal's desire to acquire Real Madrid's Gareth Bale had reportedly "grown even stronger", as per the Sunday Express.
Apart from the impending signing of Pedro from Barcelona, van Gaal is also planning to pair Bale with his resident striker and team captain Wayne Rooney to form a triple scoring threat up front, much like what the trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suárez do for Barça.
If the deal for Bale pushes through, then the 63-year-old Dutch coach would get what he wished for.
Speculations abound that Adidas, the official kit supplier of the Red Devils that is under contract for the next 10 years, is ready to support the Old Trafford giants in paying for Bale as the global sports company sees him perfect to endorse its brand.
This means that the £86 million Real wanted for the release of the 26-year-old Wales international is readily available as of the moment even after United signs Pedro for £22 million.
The only question now is will Rafa Benitez and Los Blancos actually let go of their prized winger?
Wales' manager Chris Coleman does not think so, according to The Guardian. The 45-year-old manager reportedly believes that Bale will stay at the Bernabéu as he is too valuable for Benitez to give up.
Coleman revealed that he wants Bale to stay with Real because the Cardiff native will experience more wear and tear in England than in Spain, saying that "the demands of playing in the Premier League and the demands of playing in La Liga are different. From our point of view we get a fresh Gareth Bale - if he's in the English Premier League physically it's more demanding."