Gareth Bale is still definitely coming to Manchester, according to Sunday’s papers – but he could end up wearing blue instead of red; plus the rest of the day’s big stories.
Manchester City fighting United for Gareth Bale: The Sun on Sunday reports that Gareth Bale’s move to Manchester is going full steam ahead – except that he could end up wearing City’s sky blue shirt instead of United’s red. “City want a world-class attacking midfielder to help win back the title,” the paper reports. “And they will not get left behind United if Real Madrid star Bale comes on to the market. City owner Sheikh Mansour has given the green light — and they are also in the hunt for Juventus star Paul Pogba, 22, as they look to splash out in this summer’s transfer window.”
Paper Round’s view: All the talk and swirling rumours have focused solely on United so far, the more so given the David de Gea situation since it’s widely believed that United will only let their stopper go if the former Spurs winger comes in the other direction. But with Bale increasingly marginalised at the Bernabeu, and with his chief protector Carlo Ancelotti increasingly likely to face the axe at the end of the season, it’s open season. As the Sun puts it, an “£80 million bidding war” is set to go ahead.