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Gareth Bale "truly desired" a move to Real Madrid in 2013, meaning even Manchester United's superior financial offer to Tottenham Hotspur was never going to lure the Welsh star to Old Trafford.
Bale had risen to elite status during his 2012–13 campaign with Spurs, claiming an individual quadruple of PFA Players' Player of the Year, PFA Young Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year and Premier League Player of the Season — an achievement only previously matched by Cristiano Ronaldo (2006–07). That was no small accomplishment given Robin van Persie had netted 26 Premier League goals in his first season at Manchester United to guide them to the championship.
Bringing Bale to Old Trafford made complete sense for the Red Devils — Ronaldo had been sold four years prior, Ryan Giggs was approaching 40, Nani was coming off an injury-ravaged campaign and Shinji Kagawa wasn't a natural wide player. So compelling was the case that United were prepared to spend enormous sums.
The story of United being ready to outspend Real Madrid to secure the deal has been widely circulated and retold over 13 years. Now André Villas-Boas, who managed Spurs at the time, has shed light on the precise details of the offer that was on the table.
"Gareth Bale had the offer from Real Madrid. I recall Man United called at the eleventh hour because [Spurs chairman] Daniel Levy came to my office," the Portuguese coach explained on The Obi One Podcast, alongside his former Chelsea player, John Obi Mikel.
"[Manchester United] were paying 120 [million], and Gareth did not want to go … he wanted to go to Real Madrid. For me, it was neither here nor there [which club he joined]. We were in Hong Kong during preseason. Gareth was keeping his cards close to his chest because he really wanted this transfer to go through. Real Madrid were pushing very hard."
Villas-Boas didn't clarify the currency. However, it's fair to assume he was referring to euros, given that was the currency Real Madrid were operating in.
Real Madrid tabled €100 million ($114 million at today's rate), which set a new world record surpassing Ronaldo's 2009 move to the Spanish capital. A United proposal worth €120 million ($136.5 million) represented a considerably larger sum and a bold statement, while £120 million ($159 million today) would have been an unnecessarily staggering figure.
The €120 million figure also surfaced intermittently in media reports over the following years whenever speculation about renewed interest in Bale began to circulate.
"I remember at the end of [Tottenham's] Asia tour, after the match, he was in the physio room. I walked over to his physio bed, picked up my pen and wrote 'Real Madrid' and 'Man United'—which one. And he chose. He chose wisely," Villas-Boas recalled.
"Without disrespect, but he genuinely wanted that move. I think Real Madrid is the greatest Champions League winner — he played a decisive role in claiming those titles. It was a tough call, but an understandable one. David Moyes also wanted him, but Gareth ultimately made a sound choice. Either destination would have been a fantastic option, no doubt."
Why Man Utd Outbid Real Madrid for Gareth Bale
Bale himself addressed the 2013 saga just a few months ago as a guest on Gary Neville's Stick to Football. He admitted there was never any real possibility of him joining Manchester United, while confirming that the offer made to Spurs was indeed the larger one.
"I did have talks with United. I spoke with David Moyes. I didn't personally speak [with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward], though my agent may have. But my heart was already set on Madrid."
There was an additional reason Bale didn't end up in Manchester, and perhaps why United felt compelled to offer significantly more than Real Madrid just to stand a chance.
A "gentleman's agreement" existed with Daniel Levy stipulating he wouldn't be sold to a domestic rival, though a move abroad remained possible. "If a team did come in [for me] from Spain, Italy, Germany, wherever, I could potentially go." Levy applied the same principle a decade on when Harry Kane moved to Bayern Munich, having firmly refused to allow the striker to join Manchester City in 2021.
The irony is that United, whose record signing remains Paul Pogba's £89 million ($118 million) move from Juventus in 2016, have still never matched the sum they were apparently prepared to spend on Bale that summer.
Man Utd's 2013–14 XI With Gareth Bale
The summer of 2013 felt like a pivotal crossroads for Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson had just stepped down and, beyond the Bale situation, the club also failed to complete a move for Cristiano Ronaldo that had at one point appeared to be gaining momentum.
Moyes had also targeted Cesc Fàbregas from Barcelona. He remained at the Catalan club but moved to Chelsea the following year. Everton's Leighton Baines was the intended solution to gradually replacing an aging Patrice Evra at left back.
Landing Bale might have later removed the necessity to splash out on Ángel Di María in 2014. The Argentine looked an outstanding acquisition on paper but never truly wished to leave Real Madrid. Beyond a handful of dazzling early displays, he struggled on the pitch, failed to settle off it, and departed — to Paris Saint-Germain — just twelve months later.
United were still a squad requiring significant reconstruction when Moyes took the reins, but slotting Bale into an attack alongside Wayne Rooney as a No. 10, Robin van Persie still delivering in the No. 9 position and the explosive Antonio Valencia on the opposite wing might have reshaped history and sparked more meaningful progress in the seasons that followed.
As it turned out, the squad struggled to be competitive and Moyes was relieved of his duties after just 10 months in charge.