Gareth Bale has been at the center of transfer rumors over the last few weeks.

Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City are all rumored to be interested in bringing the Welshman back to the Premier League, but there is still no word as to whether or not Real Madrid would even want to take that chance.

There are numerous reasons why Madrid would be remiss to execute such a deal, but that does not mean that the media will stop presenting dream scenarios or speculation.

The latest rumor seems to be up Madrid's alley. There have been rumors that Los Blancos have interest in bringing in goalie David de Gea to be the heir to Iker Casillas as the team's No. 1. Since Manchester United is interested in Bale, it seems that this has caught on as the latest rumor -- a swap between the teams, with some cash going to Spain's capital.

This is the latest in a series of bizarre and, quite frankly, silly rumors. The last one had Madrid sending its expensive purchase to the Old Trafford in order to bring back Angel di Maria, the player the team solid to Manchester over the summer.

De Gea is arguably more nonsensical for both sides involved.

There is no doubt that de Gea is hugely popular in Spain and would be a big hit at the Santiago Bernabeu. But not for Bale. Not even close.

Bale gives the team speed on the flank that not even Cristiano Ronaldo could bring (and especially not in his new position further up the pitch). He has been a huge part of the team's offensive rise, despite a supposed "dip" in his form and statistics (none of which are actually true). He is only 25, and his best years as a soccer player are undoubtedly still ahead of him.

The team invested over $100 million a year ago to bring him to Spain, and he went on to score not one, but two Cup-winning goals. Not even Ronaldo can boast to having scored a game-winner in a Cup final since 2010, when he did it in the Copa del Rey.

The de Gea swap makes even less sense when placed in the context of losing a game-changer for a position that the team already has covered.

De Gea is 23, 10 years younger than current number Iker Casillas (and probably in better form). But he is only four years younger than Keylor Navas, who was tremendous in the past World Cup and has had solid years in the Spanish League. Goalies usually play well into their mid to late 30s, and even Casillas is starting to regain some of the form that has made him a legend. Navas' best years are still ahead of him, and he would be a terrific replacement for Casillas when the time comes.

De Gea would be a greater boost from a marketing perspective, but he is not needed.

Manchester United on the other hand would be just as nonsensical to make the deal.

De Gea came in back in 2011 and was given the keys to the starting spot. He had a lot to live up to as the successor to Edwin van der Sar, arguably the greatest goalie the club has ever known. De Gea struggled to live up to that promise initially, but has arguably been the team's best player over the last two seasons. He has the potential to be the best in the world and is easily in the upper echelon already.

Bale would be a huge boon offensively to the team, but any Manchester United supporter knows that offense is not the team's Achilles' heel with the talents of Angel di Maria, Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Juan Mata leading the way. Bale would make the offense better, but he will not fill the hole in the team's woeful defense. A hole that de Gea is doing a tremendous job patching up when called on.

More importantly, who replaces de Gea in United's goal? The team clearly has no faith in Anders Lindegaard, as Victor Valdes is reportedly being brought in as a backup. Valdes is no spring chicken and will not be around for the next decade to lead United.

Getting rid of de Gea would create a huge problem for United as the search for a replacement could wind up being long and tiring. In the meantime, the team could wind up imploding defensively and continue its losing ways.

A swap for either team makes no sense over the long-run. It will be interesting to see what the next rumors posit about Manchester United's interest in Bale.

Maybe the next time, speculation will have Manchester United willing to send its entire roster to Real Madrid for Bale.

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