On Sunday, Gareth Bale did something he had not done in nine previous matches: he scored not one goal but two and led Real Madrid to a crucial 2-0 win over Levante.

For the Welshman, the goals were huge not only because of the result for his club, but as a means of exorcising the demons that had been badgering him for weeks on end. His celebration after the goal pretty much said it all. Fresh off striking a ball at the far end, Bale put his hands over his ears, keeping out any celebrations or sounds from the Santiago Bernabeu fans. He was almost saying, "Now you want to celebrate? I am not having any of it after the way you have treated me."

And to be fair, Bale has been blasted unfairly a better part of two months by his home fans for his lack of productivity.

And because of this poor reception, guess what is going on at this very moment? If you guessed contract negotiations were underway with Florentino Perez to keep Bale around, you were far off base. If you guessed that rumors were swirling about a move to another team, then you were right on the money.

And if you guessed that Manchester United was mixed in the talks, well honestly you don't get anything because the Red Devils seem to always be in talks for any transfer rumor these days. There are even rumors that Sir Alex Ferguson recently talked Cristiano Ronaldo about making a return to the Old Trafford.

But Bale is the issue here and despite repeated arguments for why he would never leave and the team would never let him go, one has to wonder if the tide has changed in that regard.

Here's some perspective: Bale struggled to get going in 2013-14, but once he did he put in a tremendous shift, to the tune of over 20 goals and two crucial game winners in the Cup deciders for Real Madrid.

This season he got off to a scorching start with 11 goals through his first 20 games. He looked primed to top 20 again and maybe challenge for 25 to 30 goals over all competitions.

But the Welshman went into the aforementioned slump and had to hear it from the fans who would simply not pass on any chance to deride him. Every mistake was highlighted and every selfish play he made was questioned.

For weeks, Bale was simply not allowed to be himself and one must really start to question whether part of that simply has a lot to do with his lack of space. He is a fast player who demands space to make his runs and beat defenders. With no space, he becomes too easy to shut down as it is simpler for opposing defenses to get double teams on him in a hurry. In a counter attacking situation, Bale becomes too quick to chase down, but in the current setup he is nullified.

Sadly, Bale is performing worse in all defensive categories this year, compared to his career average. He is managing fewer tackles per game, fewer interceptions and fewer clearances. The passing stats are down with the Welshman managing fewer key passes per game than his career average as well as few passes per game and fewer crosses as well.

Part of that would also have to do with his playing out of position, but there is simply no way he sees the left side of the pitch while Cristiano Ronaldo is around.

So the question remains -- does Madrid sell him to Manchester United and fund a shopping spree this summer?

Earlier in the year it made no sense. But now it might be Bale who wants out. The fans at Madrid have been as fickle as they come with regards to him and he might simply want to return to England where he was always appreciated. Manchester might not be able to keep Angel Di Maria around and Bale would be the ideal replacement if there ever was one.

Should Real Madrid sell Bale to Manchester United?