Manchester United have been given a fresh boost in their long-term pursuit of Gareth Bale , from David McDonnell in Los Angeles.
United have coveted Bale for years and failed to land him with a late £100million bid in 2013 when he joined Real Madrid.
But United could finally be about to land the 28-year-old forward after Real coach Zinedine Zidane admitted he could not guarantee Bale will stay at the Bernabeu this summer.
United boss Jose Mourinho has confirmed he is after a wide attacker, as one of two slots he is looking to fill before the August 31 deadline, with Bale his first-choice target.
Mourinho is also still hoping to tie up a deal for his former Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic before the new season starts, with United willing to pay £35m for him.
Real's pursuit of Monaco's teen sensation Kylian Mbappe has intensified speculation that one of their front three – Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo – could leave this summer.
Bale is seen as the likeliest of the trio to leave, having lost to Isco his automatic place in Real's starting line-up last season, when injury blighted his campaign.
Zidane refused to rule out one of his famed three attackers leaving this summer, with Bale seen as the most expendable.
"I hope they all stay for this season,” said Zidane. “I hope everyone remains. I want everyone who is here now to stay, but anything can happen right up until August 31.”
On Real's £143m pursuit of Mbappe, which could ultimately trigger United's move for Bale, Zidane said: "I'm the coach, you need to speak with someone else about whether or not it's worth it.
"Nothing has happened until now, and we have the squad we have."