MANCHESTER United have made Tottenham's Gareth Bale one of their prime summer targets and are willing to pay £20million to secure his services.
A deal for Bale, 20, could even be discussed when the two clubs meet at Old Trafford on Saturday and the player is understood to be aware of United's interests.
Spurs travel to Manchester hoping to clinch fourth spot - and Champions League qualification would represent their best chance of being able to afford to turn down United and convince Bale to stay at White Hart Lane.
Manchester City and Inter Milan are also monitoring him but it is United's interest that is currently strongest.
Although a left-back, Bale has looked equally comfortable on the left wing for Spurs. He went 24 Premier League games without appearing on a winning side but has excelled since the turn of the year.
Bale scored his first goals of the season in the back-to-back victories over Arsenal and Chelsea, but United's interest in him is not new.
They first wanted to sign him as a 17-year-old from Southampton and Welsh legend Ryan Giggs even tried to persuade him to go to Old Trafford.
At the time, however, Bale was fearful he would not get enough first-team chances and instead chose to sign for Spurs for a fee of £5m, rising to £10m. A serious ankle injury cut short Bale's first season and he struggled to make much of an impact when manager Harry Redknapp joined in October 2008.
But Redknapp will be desperate for Spurs chairman Daniel Levy to rebuff United's advances, having spoken of his relief at turning down City and Inter last year.
"It would have scared me to death to have sold him," said Redknapp after the Bale-inspired victory over Chelsea.
"I knew what he had. The sky's the limit for him now."
Redknapp claimed Bale broke a world record for the ground covered at Wembley in Spurs FA Cup semi-final defeat by Portsmouth, having run about nine miles.
22/04/10 - The Daily Express.co.uk
