Gareth Bale reveals why he chose Real Madrid over Manchester United
Former Welsh winger Gareth Bale revealed that, despite Manchester United making a bigger offer, his mind was already made up to join Real Madrid in 2013, also mentioning an informal agreement with Daniel Levy to prevent a transfer to a Tottenham Hotspur rival.
Former Welsh winger Gareth Bale revealed that, despite Manchester United making a bigger offer, his mind was already made up to join Real Madrid in 2013, also mentioning an informal agreement with Daniel Levy to prevent a transfer to a Tottenham Hotspur rival.
Former Welsh international Gareth Bale revisited the behind-the-scenes of his transfer to Real Madrid in 2013, revealing why he ultimately dismissed a Manchester United offer. Invited to The Overlap’s Stick To Football podcast, the former winger explained that an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur president Daniel Levy had prevented him from joining a direct Premier League rival.
According to Bale, Manchester United had actually offered a larger sum than that of the Madrid club to convince Tottenham to let him go. “I discussed with Manchester United. They even made a higher bid than Real Madrid’s. I spoke with David Moyes. But anyway, my heart was already turned toward Madrid“, the former player said.
The Welshman also spoke about an informal arrangement with Daniel Levy, who wanted to avoid strengthening a direct Premier League rival. “I had an agreement with Daniel Levy, a rather informal arrangement. Obviously, he didn’t want to sell me to a rival and strengthen another team. He made things difficult, but he kept his word until the end“, he added. Ultimately, Gareth Bale joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2013, in a record transfer from Tottenham, marking the start of a trophy-rich period with the Merengues.
