Report: Man City in “advanced” Mbappe talks; Real could sell Bale to Man Utd

Can Manchester United doom Manchester City’s hopes of claiming Kylian Mbappe from AS Monaco?

Goal.com reports that Man City is in advanced talks with Monaco regarding the electric 18-year-old coming off a 26-goal season, but claims Real Madrid remains prepared to buy Mbappe if they can finance the move.

How would they do that? Apparently, by selling Gareth Bale to Manchester United.

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The Bale to Old Trafford rumors have existed dating back to the Welshman’s days at Tottenham Hotspur, but this puts a concrete plan behind a move. United boss Jose Mourinho has lamented the price of doing business in the market, and maybe the fee would bend a bit to his liking thanks to Real’s alleged need to deal.

This helps explain why it’s Man City who Goal claims sits in the driver’s seat:

Though it is believed Mbappe is also open to moving to the Santiago Bernabeu, Pep Guardiola has spoken personally with the teenager in a bid to convince him to move to Manchester, and the Catalan’s employers are now trying to persuade Monaco to sell.

The same report, seemingly well connected to Man City, claims the Etihad Stadium bunch has been surprised by Arsenal’s unwillingness to sell Alexis Sanchez within the Premier League.

The arrival of Bale and/or Mbappe to the Premier League would further congest the race for the top of the table, and start to build a gulf between a trio of Man City, Man United, and Chelsea, and the rest of the league.

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