The battle for Gareth Bale has begun anew.

Real Madrid's expensive purchase from 2013's summer transfer window looks like he will leave Spain's capital after his sophomore year and return to whence he came - England.

But don't expect Tottenham to go after the Welshman as the team is currently enamored with Harry Kane.

Instead, Bale could be headed to either Manchester United or Manchester City. Both Manchester rivals are presumably battling over Bale's attention.

United's interest in Bale is nothing new as the team has been courting him since last summer. But City's arrival in the race throws an interesting wrench into the proceedings.

The Citizens have always been ready to splurge money, and considering their position of power (their superior standing in the table), it could be the side that Bale ultimately opts for.

United's situation is rather interesting. The side's offense has a plethora of unique options in store and it is not completely clear where Bale would play.

At City, he would likely get his favored position on the left wing, something that he struggled to retain while a member of Real Madrid.

Bale did not have a woeful year for Real Madrid, but certainly had an underwhelming one when compared with the likes of Neymar and what he did for Barcelona.

Bale scored 21 goals for Real Madrid last season, including winners in the Champions League and Copa del Rey. This year he scored 17 (at this point in time) and really struggled in the big moments.

Part of his struggles amount to not being the main man on campus. Despite being a better threat from the free kick, Bale has to repeatedly watch Cristiano Ronaldo fire shots over the net. He also does not get the aid of penalty goals; if he split with Ronaldo he would possibly have 23 goals on the year instead of 17. However, that is still disappointing when compared with Neymar's 38 goals (and counting) for Barcelona this season.