Suarez to team up with Bale at Real

Real Madrid are planning a swoop for Luis Suarez once a deal for Gareth Bale is finalised, clearing the way for Cristiano Ronaldo to leave the Bernabeu and move back to Manchester United – here are the main transfer stories from today’s newspapers. Madrid turn to Suarez: With a deal for Bale expected to be finalised by Tuesday, reports the Daily Star, Real Madrid are set to follow up the Welshman’s signing with the capture of Suarez. The paper “understands” that Liverpool expect to receive a formal offer from Madrid next week, and should a deal go through, it would allow the Spanish giants to cash in on Ronaldo, who is stalling on signing a new deal at the Bernabeu and is the subject of an £80m bid from United. Paper Round’s view: Reports earlier in the week suggested Suarez was secretly holding out for Real Madrid to come in for him and given his ‘issues’ with England, it’s plausible that he would indeed jump at the chance to move to Madrid. Whether Real are looking to cash in on Ronaldo, and therefore seeking a replacement forward, is more debatable. Wenger brands Bale deal a ‘joke’: Meanwhile, most papers go big on Arsene Wenger’s quotes about the Bale deal, which the Arsenal manager says has made a joke of the new financial fair play rules. The Daily Mirror’s headline is rather attention-grabbing – ‘Bale is a joke’ – while the Daily Mail gives details of the proposed deal – a world record £87 million bid and a basic wage of £165,000 a week plus bonuses and image rights. Paper Round’s view: It’s difficult to argue with Wenger’s assessment of the situation – football does indeed seem to have gone “completely crazy” this summer, as the Gunners boss put it. It remains to be seen, however, how Real’s expenditure will compare to the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco.