Wales star, Gareth Bale, said he never planned to go to Manchester United back in 2013, even though they made a bigger transfer offer than Real Madrid. Back then, Bale was pretty much expected to leave Tottenham Hotspur after an outstanding 2012–13 season, especially since Spurs just missed out on UEFA Champions League qualification by finishing right behind Arsenal in the Premier League.
On the Stick to Football podcast, Bale talked about how Manchester United, right after David Moyes took over as manager when Sir Alex Ferguson retired, tried to persuade him to join the team at Old Trafford.
I did talk to United, Bale said that they actually offered more than Real Madrid, but made it clear that the transfer was never really on the table, “My heart was set on Madrid”.
The Welsh winger also revealed he had a “gentleman’s agreement” with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy that would let him leave the club if a good offer came from outside the Premier League.
Bale ended up signing with Real Madrid in a deal that was a world record at the time, valued at about £85 million. He spent eight years in Spain and had a lot of success, winning several trophies like five UEFA Champions League titles and scoring important goals in key finals.
