He has been described as the best British player of his generation and opposition managers have called him a genius; now the inevitable has happened, he is being linked with a move to Manchester United.
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The future of Tottenham's 23-year-old Wales forward Gareth Bale has already been the subject of intense speculation that he will move to a major club for a world record fee during the July and August transfer window.
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So far, Tottenham have been able to reject the rumours out of hand but according to The Sun on Friday, their strength is about to be tested with a massive offer by Premier League champions Manchester United.
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New manager David Moyes, who is replacing the retiring Sir Alex Ferguson, will be given up to 85 million pounds (133 million dollars) to invest in Bale or bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back from Real Madrid, four years after he left for the current record fee of 95 million euros (126.7 million dollars).
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Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly also interested, and some say that United would only get Ronaldo - who on Thursday via Twitter denied rumours he was set for a contract extension beyond 2015 at Real -if Bale goes to Real.
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United's record buy is still Dimitar Berbatov, who joined for 30.75 million pounds in 2007 but any move for Bale - or Ronaldo - would dwarf that.
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Bringing back the popular Ronaldo would be great news for United, but Bale - who this year was voted the PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year - seems to be very much in favour with the United hierarchy.
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Having lost Ferguson, who had been in charge since 1986, United are desperate to maintain their place at the top of the English game.
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At 23, Bale is coming off the best season of his career, scoring 21 goals in 33 Premier League games and 26 in 44 games overall.
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Having begun his career at full-back, he is now playing in midfield and sometimes in attack, with his blistering pace and outstanding left foot too much for many teams.
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"The difference, without any question is one man," West Ham manager Sam Allardyce lamented at one stage this season.
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"I'm not suggesting they're a one-man team but they are in terms of the victories. I think he has scored eight out of ten goals in the last few weeks, which has got them so many wins.
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"I don't think any of them are from inside the box, other than a header. So it's an unbelievable record he has."
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Should Bale join United, it would follow in a long tradition of big-name players moving to Old Trafford, such as Wayne Rooney, whose own future is in doubt, Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
I just think he would have better opportunities in Manchester United being that David Moyes is now the manager....