Manchester United prepare last-minute swoop for Gareth Bale

Manchester United are planning a last-minute swoop for Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale, according to the Sunday People.

The report states that the Red Devils are confident they have a chance to sign the £95m-rated ($149m) Welsh wizard given the antipathy towards him by the Madrid faithful, who repeatedly booed him off the pitch at home last season. The Spanish giants failed to win their first game of the season, drawing 0-0 against Sporting Gijon, with both Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo missing several chances.

United are therefore waiting for Bale to feature in Madrid's first home game of the season against Real Betis on Saturday, 29 August, where a similar performance by the Welshman could earn him the wrath of the supporters. This could force him to change his mind over a prospective transfer back to the Premier League, where he will be very popular among the fans.

The Red Devils passed on the opportunity to sign Pedro from Barcelona, who scored and assisted a goal each in Chelsea's 3-2 win against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns. Louis van Gaal is now looking at other options to bolster his attack and has also been linked with a move for Barcelona frontman Neymar by the Sun.

However, it looks unlikely that the Catalans who let Pedro leave will be willing to let the Brazilian go down the same route, especially considering they are under a transfer ban, which prevents them from signing any player this window.

Bale would add some much needed pace and power to the United attack, which scored a blank at home against Newcastle, taking their tally of goals to two in their opening three games. Adnan Januzaj is their own goalscorer in the team, with the other being an own goal by Kyle Walker in the opening game of the season.

The Red Devils are actively looking for a player to add to their frontline and are reportedly considering a back-up plan in the form of Southampton forward Sadio Mane if they fail to land their big targets.