Gareth Bale could be back to England this summer as reports emerged that Real Madrid would be willing to let the Welshman walk away for free. If the no-cost transfer will indeed take place, it is believed the winger is wanted by Manchester United or by his old side, the Tottenham Hotspur.
Local reports from Spain indicated that Real boss Zinedine Zidane is planning to release Bale and for a team to take him in, the transfer will be for free. It is said that the 30-year-old is no longer in the battle plan of Zidane for next season so the Los Blancos would be happy to offload him.
Bale has become an outcast in Bernabeu lately and in the current campaign, he has only appeared in 14 games and contributed two goals. The figures though do not show how important the winger was in the immediate years that followed after he made the jump from the Spurs to Real in 2013.
For the Spanish giants, Bale played a total of 249 games so far and scored 105 goals. He also boasts of four Champions League titles and one La Liga win Zidane's side. The club boss, however, no longer sees the Welshman an asset.
Bale still has two years to go with Real after the current campaign but The Sun said his current team looks forward to shipping him out. Possibly one reason is the winger's high wage of £350,000 per week.
Real will want Bale's next destination to continue paying the player's salary and not demanding a transfer fee may just attract an interested party. Yet the Spanish giants are fully aware that the salary attached to Bale's live contract is a non-starter.
It is a factor that Jonathan Barnett said is preventing Bale from moving out of Spain. The agent for Bale admitted that clubs interested in the winger ended backing out as the player's pay is a huge turn-off.
"Let's be realistic - for most clubs, he is out of their league, financially," Talk Sport reported Barnett as saying.
"Gareth is very happy over there ... But it is not all about money. It is about his lifestyle and his children, who have grown up in Madrid," the agent added.
One example of how hard to close a deal on Bale was his reported move to the Chinese Super League last summer. It was believed that an agreement was to be finalized but Real backed out the last minute, presumably due to financial issues.
However, a return to the Premier League could prove easier this coming summer if indeed Real will be willing to part ways with Bale with no price tag at all.
