Man United’s Ibrahimovic exit has Bale and Mbappe implications
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In a surprising turn, it now seems Manchester United will not be keeping Zlatan Ibrahimovic next season.
And should that be the case, then it will be a somewhat sour end to the Swede’s short time at Old Trafford.
But we’re focusing on what it all means going forward.
The immediate issue is that Zlatan was vital for much of United’s success last term before injury.
Jose Mourinho needs to find a replacement for the 28 goals and 10 assists the forward produced last season.
They also now lack a headline attraction.
United are synonymous with top-line strikers. From Zlatan, to Wayne Rooney, to Cristiano Ronaldo, to Ruud van Nistelrooy, Dwight Yorke and Eric Cantona.
So where do they turn?
Step forward, Gareth Bale.
The Welshman has been linked with a move to United for some time, but the latest Zlatan reports indicate a move may be much more likely now.
Injuries have hampered Bale’s season at Real Madrid, but even when fit, he has never managed to endear himself to the Bernabeu faithful.
New Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane appears to prefer Isco too, so the former Tottenham ace could be ripe for a move.
That’s not to say Bale hasn’t performed, posting 67 goals in 150 games for Los Blancos.
And Madrid will need to offload someone this summer if they want to sign Kylian Mbappe from Monaco.
The teenager is the hottest prospect in Europe right now, but is unlikely to move for anything less then £100m.
But if Real can claim £70m-80m of that back on a Bale sale, then an Mbappe move looks good value.
And the odds suggest both moves could certainly happen.
We’re just 6/4 on Bale joining the Red Devils this summer, with 7/4 saying Mbappe is a Galactico by next season.
.All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
