Is this the one way Real Madrid can get around Spurs’ first refusal on Gareth Bale?

We may now know why Gareth Bale didn't move to Manchester United last summer.

The Welsh forward has had highs and lows during his time at Real Madrid, but it has emerged that, had he departed back in August, the Spanish club would have had to pay former employers Tottenham £10m. That's according to leaked documents which purport to show the terms of Bale's world record transfer to Madrid, as well as noting that Spurs have first refusal if a bid from a Premier League club is accepted. In such a scenario, the North London club would have the option of matching the terms agreed with United or another English outfit. It would be tough to throw Spurs off the scent without offering megabucks for the player...but there might be one way United can get the upper hand. Were the club to offer Madrid a swap deal involving David De Gea, it would be impossible for their rivals to go like-for-like with a comparable offer (barring an acceleration in cloning technology in the coming months). Of course, if the Spaniards have their transfer ban sustained then this could all be moot for the time being, but we may have just found a solution to this conundrum.