The Chilean has scored only five goals in 45 games since his free transfer from Arsenal in the January transfer window of the 2017/18, despite being given a salary of £400,000 a week.

Real Madrid are willing to let 30-year-old Bale leave the Bernabeu in January and are interested in offering him as a makeweight to bring long-time Paul Pogba to Spain.

The Red Devils failed to replace Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez during the summer transfer window as they failed to finalise deals for Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic.

Manchester United paid an astonishing £25.7million in wages to injured players last season - the most in the Premier League - while their rivals City were next on the list but how much did your club spend?

With a scarcity of top talent available in January, big players who are on the market usually have a number of suitors to choose from, creating a transfer tug-of-war.

The 31-year-old, currently on loan from Manchester United, was among the title chasers' substitutes on Saturday but was not brought on despite Inter appearing at risk of dropping points.

Romelu Lukaku scored after just 22 seconds and added another goal to help Inter Milan to a 4-1 victory over Cagliari at San Siro on Tuesday and a place in the Italian Cup quarter-final.

Alexis Sanchez's loan move to Inter is due to terminate at the end of the season but he remains a popular figure in the dressing room, despite making few appearances.

Manchester United will not be able to recall Alexis Sanchez from Inter Milan to reinforce their attacking options after Marcus Rashford was ruled out for three months.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be 'seriously regretting' his failure to replace Romelu Lukaku last summer now that Marcus Rashford is injured, according to Paul Ince.

DANNY MURPHY: You can't push all the blame for Manchester United's woes on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He has only had one transfer window and I think most would say his signings smart ones.

OLIVER HOLT - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: They sold Solskjaer's best goalscorer to Inter. They loaned his best defender to Roma. His best midfielder rarely plays. It's time for Ed Woodward to explain.

Manchester United are set to perform a shock u-turn by giving Alexis Sanchez another chance to prove himself at the club. Sanchez is currently on loan at Inter Milan.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes there is still a chance Alexis Sanchez can resurrect his Manchester United career when he returns to the club in the summer.

Christian Eriksen came off the bench to make his Inter Milan debut as Antonio Conte's men made it through to the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia on Wednesday.

PETER CROUCH: The deal looks brilliant at first glance, doesn't it? Bruno Fernandes, a top-class Portugal international who was wanted by many top European clubs, has joined Manchester United.

TOM COLLOMOSSE: Inter are strong favourites given AC Milan's current chaotic state, yet this is the sort of match that defines a season - perhaps even an era.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was at a loss to understand AC Milan's second half collapse at the San Siro after they let a two-goal lead slip to lose the Milan derby 4-2 to title-chasing arch rivals Inter

The Red Devils forward is currently on loan at Inter Milan and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has recently said he would return to the club this summer. But this looks to be a ploy to salvage his re-sale value.

Inter fan favourite Ivan Zamorano has hailed the impact of manager Antonio Conte and believes that much-maligned forward Alexis Sanchez could prove pivotal in their quest to win Serie A this season.

ALVISE CAGNAZZO IN ITALY: Sanchez's move to Inter Milan was supposed to save his career but it is increasingly looking like another misstep from a player who has failed to hit his former heights.

Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal could be quarantined due to coronavirus if they travel to South America for the World Cup qualifiers later this month. 

The French star only arrived at the Nou Camp last summer has not yet made the impact that was hoped of him, and now Barca are willing to cash in as part of a wider revamp of the squad.

Liverpool have been transformed since Klopp arrived in 2015 and the Reds are 25 points clear at the top of the Premier League table, a sign United must change tact, says Van Persie.

With a dismal loan spell at Inter Milan destined to come to an underwhelming end, Manchester United are facing the prospect of shelling out yet more cash on flop Alexis Sanchez.

The Chilean is currently on loan at Inter Milan but has failed to make an impression and United are keen to offload Sanchez. Ince wouldn't be surprised if Sanchez turned things around at Old Trafford.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reportedly prepared to sell five players this summer as part of an overhaul of his squad.

Fernandes has not crumbled under the United curse that has seen the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao all not live up to their billing after joining the club.

Both Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil's contracts at the Emirates were set to expire in the summer of 2018 and as the days drew on, it appeared their time at the club was coming to an end.

Manchester United will continue their squad overhaul this summer and it means clearing out some of the deadwood in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's squad to raise funds. But who could depart Old Trafford?

The Gunners have sold the likes of Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri and Alexis Sanchez in recent years while Aaron Ramsey left on a free transfer last season.

Alexis Sanchez is currently on loan at Inter Milan after struggling to adapt to life at Manchester United. Sanchez's future at Old Trafford is uncertain, but he is reportedly keen on a move back to Chile.

TOM UTLEY: Worse than any of this, I so adore my new car that I've taken to making entirely unnecessary journeys for the sheer love of driving it.

TOM UTLEY: Well, the minutes passed, and then the hours - and still I could get nothing but that infuriating message. I began to feel something like panic stealing over me.

TOM UTLEY: There I was, driving home along the M25 at about 10pm the other night, when suddenly my car braked of its own accord and veered to the right, without any intervention from me.

TOM UTLEY: The most moving story in the history of music, I reckon, is the familiar account of the stone-deaf Beethoven's public appearance - his first on stage for 12 years.

TOM UTLEY: When my bosses suggested I should take a leaf out of the Prime Minister's book by writing about five women who had shaped my life, my heart sank (pictured, Margaret Thatcher).

TOM UTLEY: I know many readers will condemn me as a suicidal, homicidal maniac when I admit that, on Tuesday, I took Mrs U out for an idyllic pub lunch - perhaps our last for a very long time.

TOM UTLEY: All my grown-up life, I've prided myself on being something of a non-conformist - a maverick unafraid to question and challenge the conventional wisdom and conduct of the herd.

It's the first time since I foolishly took up smoking during my gap year in France almost 50 years ago that I've heard anyone suggest my addiction might actually be doing me good, writes TOM UTLEY.

TOM UTLEY: On the day this week when Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds were celebrating their happy event, my wife and I received joyful news about our own baby boy.

TOM UTLEY: I'm quite content to stay here in my South London suburb -with perhaps a trip to Norfolk, Scotland or Wales when the lockdown eases.

The fortunes which Saudi Arabia are willing to invest in 'sports-washing' their image will price any fight between Joshua and the winner of Fury's rematch with Wilder.

Anthony Joshua's defence of his world heavyweight titles will 'almost certainly' be in the UK against Kubrat Pulev, according to boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.

Sportsmail photographer Kevin Quigley has been shortlisted in two categories for the SJA British Sports Journalism awards this year. 

Caz Crossley and Anthony Joshua donned their finery on Saturday night to attend rapper Krept's 30th birthday celebrations in London.

Tottenham Stadium is the 'front-runner' to host Anthony Joshua's mandatory clash with Kubrat Pulev in the summer. 

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has emerged as a frontrunner to stage Joshua's first defence of the titles he recaptured last year after exacting revenge on Andy Ruiz Jnr in Saudi Arabia.

Arsenal and Tottenham usually battle it out on the pitch but now they competing off the field as the north London duo are competing to host Anthony Joshua's next fight. 

Deontay Wilder has taken a swipe at heavyweight rival Anthony Joshua as he steps up preparations for his rematch with Tyson Fury by mocking his boxing style.