Manchester United: Louis van Gaal still hopes to convince Gareth Bale to move to Old Trafford

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is reportedly still keen on bringing Real Madrid star Gareth Bale to Old Trafford this summer, according to the Daily Mail.

The Dutch manager is reportedly convinced that the Welshman is the perfect candidate to convert the Red Devils into genuine title contenders. The Red Devils have been linked with a move for him this summer, with Spanish radio station Caden Cope reporting that the Spanish capital club have rejected a bid of €140m (£100m,$154m) from the Premier League giants.

Bale's representative Jonathan Barnett has already confirmed that the former Tottenham Hotspur star is very happy at the Santiago Bernabeu and is not thinking of a return to England for the foreseeable future.

"There is no situation. Why should he leave? There are rumours of men on the moon. That's a saying," Barnett told IBTimes UK.

"He is a star at Real. Why would he consider leaving them. He is very happy to be at the biggest club in the world. [Winning Copa del Rey and Champions League] that's just the start and he will be the best player in the world. He wants to do that at Real," the Welshman's agent added.

However, Van Gaal is supposedly not convinced and the report has claimed that he has told friends that he can persuade the Wales international to quit Real for United this summer.

The 20-times English champions were recently beaten by Chelsea to the signing of Pedro Rodriguez from Barcelona. United were frontrunners for his signature, with a Daily Mail report suggesting that Ed Woodward was in the Catalan capital to finalise a deal, but a late intervention by the Blues turned the tide in Jose Mourinho's favour.

Despite the setback, the United executive vice-chairman is said to be confident that he can land a big name player this summer, especially after the Old Trafford club's dominating performance against Club Brugge in the Champions League playoffs.

However, their relationship with the 10-times European champions is currently not at their best, due to the ongoing transfer saga involving David de Gea. This could hamper United from competing a deal any time soon.