This article is part of Football FanCast's Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news...

According to The Sun, Manchester United could seal the signing of long-term target Gareth Bale in the upcoming January transfer window.

What's the word?

The Real Madrid superstar has been linked with a move to Old Trafford for a number of years now, but has failed to see a transfer materialise. But after a particularly tumultuous season last year in which some of his own teammates questioned his attitude and commitment to the cause, it could finally be Bale's time to leave.

And according to The Sun, Real Madrid believe that if he does not join up with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side in the New Year, then they are "convinced" he will do so in the following window. The report further claims that United were keen on luring Bale to the club when the Wales international was close to joining Chinese outfit Jiangsu Suning in the summer, and that the Red Devils are "even more determined to land a star name to rescue their season now".

The ship has sailed

A few years ago, when Bale's injury problems weren't as disruptive or severe as they have been recently, a move for the Welsh talisman would have been seen as a major coup. After all, this is the man who many would have earmarked as Cristiano Ronaldo's potential successor at Madrid. Instead, a mixture of medical issues and struggles to get to grips with the Spanish lifestyle have really tarnished his reputation.

The Red Devils have already been burned by a January swoop for a high-profile star on hefty ages. Alexis Sanchez anyone? Bale's arrival may be heralded as a superstar-worthy signing, but his pre-existing issues at Madrid would only just resurface back in the Premier League. The £54m-rated man isn't suddenly going to become 100% healthy again, and back to his old self. The ship may have sailed for the 30-year-old's move to Old Trafford.