Real Madrid will reportedly offer Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez to Manchester United in an attempt to prise away Paul Pogba.
The La Liga giants have long been admirers of the French World Cup winning midfielder and tried to seal a deal for him in the summer.
According to Spanish newspaper El Desmarque, the club are keen on bringing Pogba to Madrid next year and could offer both Bale and Rodriguez to sweeten the deal.
Manchester United value Pogba at £150million so Madrid would have to put forward a big offer if they were to convince the Premier League club to sell.
However, it is unlikely that United would believe that Bale and Rodriguez together would match that valuation if Madrid were to pursue a swap deal.
Pogba is under contract at Old Trafford until June 2021, though previous reports have stated he would be willing to move away from the Premier League club to join Madrid.
The 26-year-old has been out of action since September and is hoping to make a comeback before the New Year.
Real Madrid were reportedly interested in signing Pogba due to the insistence of manager Zinedine Zidane back in the summer, but the Frenchman ended up staying put in England.
This was largely down to the players Los Blancos had already signed during the transfer window.
According to Marca, Madrid spent 350 million euros (£295m) on the likes of Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic and Rodrygo.
In return they only recouped just 150m (£126m) in player sales resulting in a 200m euros (£170m) deficit.
With UEFA’s rulings stating that the maximum net spend one club can have is 100 million euros, the difference of 200 million euros is of huge concern to Madrid and the club could look to sell some players to avoid Financial Fair Play Sanctions.
As a result, the futures of both Bale and Rodriguez are up in the air.
Bale has had a tumultuous time at Real Madrid this season and was booed and jeered by is own fans last month after holding up a flag of ‘Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order,’ after helping his country book their spot at next summer’s European Championship.
Rodriguez, 28, meanwhile has clocked up just 422 minutes of action this season in nine outings and having entered his prime years, will likely seek a move away in any case.
