Real Madrid: Gareth Bale back to square one
His proposed move to China is up in the air. BBC and Sky Sport report that negotiations have broken down. AS can reveal the player wants to stay where he is.
Gareth Bale appears to be back where he started, lost in a labyrinth with obstackles at every turn. It all started when he was left out of the squad for the Bayern friendly - apparently, because of an imminent deal with a Chinese Super League club (Jiangsu Suning) was about to go through. Yesterday, BBC and Sky Sports both reported that negotiations with the Chinese club had completely broken down - just 48 hours after the surprise announcement that a deal with Jiangsu Suning had been agreed: "Three seasons and 25 million euros, after tax, per year".
The word from Real Madrid however, has remained the same: "We have not been contacted by any club". Bale's back to square one and that presents a problem as the transfer market in China is 72 hours away from closing which reduces the chances of a deal being struck. Madrid, through Zidane, have made it clear that there is no place for Bale in the team this season and they need to sell him to raise funds to buy Paul Pogba.
In the Bernabéu back offices, some have voiced concerns that Bale might be needed now that Marco Asensio is likely to miss most is not all of next season. "Signing a player with his characteristics would cost 150 million euros... - if there was a player like Bale currently on the market". At the same time AS understands that Bale would be quite happy to stay where he is - he enjoys life in the Spanish capital. His family life is perfect, and he seems happy to undertake a secondary role within the team.
Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett has told AS that Madrid have not informed the player that he will remain at the club
The problem is that it seems that for Zidane, the whole Bale saga is a personal issue. The player's agent, Jonathan Barnett told Le Journal du Dimanche: "It's quite simple - Zidane doesn't like Gareth. There is no relationship between them, there never has been".
Reports from last night which claim that Madrid have decided that Bale will remain at the club were refuted by Barnett. The agent has told AS that the club has not informed him that his client will be staying on at the club while Madrid have made no comment at all.
Three years to run of Madrid contract
Bale is under contract until 2022 and earns 14.5 million euros per season excluding bonuses. For Madrid, that's a wage bill of 90 million euros for a player who the coach doesn't want. But letting Bale leave could go against Florentino Pérez in the long run. It's well known that Inter Milan have a 70% stake in Jiangsu Suning which means that there is always a possibility that Bale could even end up in Italy. In the meantime, his future is cloudier than ever...