The 28-year-old’s position at Real has been thrown into doubt by the Spanish club’s pursuit of Monaco’s £160m wonderboy Kylian Mbappe.
Bale has been a long-term Manchester United target but Mourinho didn’t include the former Tottenham star on his original summer hit list because he thought he was settled at the Bernabeu.
That could all change though if a deal is done for 18-year-old Mbappe, with Real seeing the sale of £90m-rated Bale as a chance to recoup a large chunk of their outlay.
And ahead of the UEFA Super Cup clash with Real in Skopje, Mourinho made it clear he will head the queue of takers for the Welshman – as the Red Devils stepped up their interest in Spurs’ left back Danny Rose.
Mourinho piled the pressure on Zidane by claiming if he left Bale out of his starting line-up it will be a clear signal he no longer wants him
“Well if he’s playing tomorrow I wouldn’t think of that [signing him],” the United boss said.
“If he’s playing tomorrow it’s because he’s in the coach’s and club’s plans and because he has that motivation to continue at Real Madrid. I haven’t even thought of possibility of signing him.
“If he’s not in the club’s plans and what you are telling me is true (about Mbappe), that the arrival of another player would mean Gareth would be on his way out of Real Madrid then I would try to be waiting for him on the other side and be fighting with the other coaches who would like to have him on their team.
“But if he plays tomorrow it would be the best confirmation that he is wanted by the team.”
When Mourinho’s remarks were put to Zidane, the Real boss refused to give Bale any long-term assurances.
And if Zidane selects Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Bale after the Portuguese superstar has completed only three days of training, it would be a huge kick in the teeth.
Zidane studiously ducked the Bale issue saying: “It’s the same thing with Ronaldo, we’ve also had stories about his future this summer.
“People seem to want to blow it up out of proportion. We’re concentrating on what we’re doing and that’s what is important.
“Bale is a Real Madrid player that’s all I can say. I want to talk about tomorrow’s match.
“We are here, him, me and all the other players and the fans are here for the match only. That other stuff doesn’t interest me very much.
“What’s important is that the player is feeling well. He’s had a lot of continuous training sessions with us and that’s what is important.
“At the end of last season it wasn’t easy for him. He was out for four months but now he is very concentrated. What’s important for us isn’t what their coach said, it’s what we are going to do tomorrow.”
Real skipper Sergio Ramos added: ‘We respect the opinion of any other coach.
“At the moment Gareth Bale is a player of Real Madrid, we are delighted to have him on board.
“The future of any player is decided by the player. The month of August is very long and anything can happen.
“But Gareth Bale is on our team and we love to have the best players."
Manchester United are ready to compete with Inter Milan for England star Rose.
The fee would be an initial £45m but with add-ons it could match the £54m Manchester City paid for Kyle Walker.
If they are successful it would cast a major doubt over Luke Shaw’s Old Trafford future.
