Arsenal have been linked with a move for Real Madrid star Gareth Bale.

The former Spurs winger has been strongly tipped to leave the Bernabeu this summer and Diario Gol has claimed the Gunners have made their interest known to Madrid.

The La Liga club are believed to want £90 million for the Welsh star who is being eyed by a host of top European clubs.

Bayern Munich, Spurs and Chelsea are also said to be in the running, but the report claims that rumours linking the 28-year-old with Manchester United are wide of the mark.

Sky Sports‘ pundit Guillem Balague has also tipped Bale to leave Madrid this summer and he believes a move to England is his most likely destination.

“A return to the Premier League is of course on the cards but it would be foolish for Bale not to explore all opportunities,” he said. “The Premier League is the target but a move to Bayern Munich would make sense as well, if that’s the route they decide to take.

“Having said that, even though Bayern may sell Robert Lewandowski, they are not the kind of club that spends hundreds of millions on a player.

“With that in mind, I would say he is more likely to go the Premier League.”

Arsenal’s interest in Bale might seem unlikely, although there are reasons to believe that a move to the Emirates Stadium would be a sensible decision.

The hefty transfer fee for a player who has struggled with injuries over the past few seasons may well be off-putting to most of the clubs linked with Bale, but the Gunners are in a position where they need to take some risks.

Arsenal have fallen a long way behind the rest of the Premier League’s big guns, but signing Bale would send a message that they are serious about closing the gap.