Gareth Bale’s agent reportedly urged him to join Manchester United

Gareth Bale has been regularly linked with a return to the Premier League since his move to Real Madrid, with Manchester United often claimed to be his most likely destination.

It's now been suggested by a Spanish journalist that the Welshman's agent, Jonathan Barnett, tried to persuade his client to move to Old Trafford last summer. According to Yahoo Sports, Javier Matallanas says: "Barnett was very concerned that the transfer [would] be fruitful, because United guaranteed him a fee of €20m, according to a source familiar with the negotiations." Matallanas also claims that there's still a possibility that Bale will one day depart, harshly suggesting that he wouldn't be missed at the Bernabeu as he's failed to integrate with his Real team-mates.

"If he leaves, no one would throw him in the [dog] house because empathy with the vast majority of peers is zero."