Gareth Bale stays, Barcelona to make one final offer for Neymar, Paul Pogba will remain at Manchester United and more: La Liga Transfer News, 19 August 2019
Welcome to the La Liga Transfer Roundup. With just a couple of weeks left in the transfer window, we are braced for an intense conclusion to the summer.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top La Liga Transfer News of the day - 19 August 2019.
Gareth Bale will stay at Real Madrid, says Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane telling the press that the "sooner Gareth Bale leaves the club, the better it will be for everyone" feels like a distant memory now. Bale had reportedly got very close to joining a Chinese Super League club on a bumper deal. However, Florentino Perez pulled the plug on the deal in the last minute forcing the Welshman to kick on at Real Madrid.
Marco Asensio's critical injury in the pre-season is said to have caused Florentino Perez to take a U-turn on the Bale decision. As far as Zidane is concerned, Eden Hazard getting sidelined right before the start of the season meant that he had no one to look to in order to lead the line other than Bale himself.
Bale was one of Real Madrid's best players on the pitch in their season opener against Celta Vigo and his performance helped them record a 3-1 win. Speaking to the press after the game, Zidane said that the Welshman will be staying at the club.
"We talked about it before the match, I think we talked about it two or three times to say that he is going to stay. And all the players that are here now are only thinking about this season.
"I think this is true considering the way Gareth performed, but not only Gareth. I think that everyone played a good game. All we have to do is to think about this season and I am sure that he and all the other players only think about staying here and play."
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