Gareth Bale gets the wink from Schalke, with a special offer

Gareth Bale has been one of the media stars of these delayed 2020 European Championship. With his Real Madrid future up in the air, the Welshman has had the cameras and the eyes of the fans on him since the start of the tournament preparations and right the way through until he and his countrymen were eliminated in the round of 16 against Denmark. It was during that match that fans turned up at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam with banners asking the striker to sign for Schalke 04. And it was no surprise that that image quickly went viral on social media.

Bale to Schalke for golf incentive

The German club, who will be playing in Bundesliga 2 next season after being relegated, jumped at the chance to take up the mantle and joked on Twitter. "Gelsenkirchen is ready for you, Gareth," they wrote, alongside the image of the Amsterdam fans and a local golf course, knowing the player's self-confessed love of the game.

In reality, as it stands, everything points to Bale, who has one year left on his Real Madrid contract, continuing in the Spanish capital until 2022. That said, much may depend on the post-Euros chat he and his agent have with new boss at the Bernabéu, Carlo Ancelotti.