Real Madrid winger Bale's agent calls out 'rubbish' MLS rumours
Real Madrid star Gareth Bale has endured a strange time at the Santiago Berbabéu. Although the Welshman has won a host of top European and domestic honours with Los Blancos, he has faced many obstacles in the Spanish capital. Be it the language barrier or the high-profile fall-out with Zinedine Zidane, Bale's issues have been well-documented.
The Welsh winger has a big-money contract with Real Madrid till 2022 but has continuously been linked with a move away from the Santiago Bernabéu. In fact, he was ever so close to moving to the cash-rich Chinese Super League last summer until the very last minute. Florentino Perez reportedly vetoed the move in the last minute amidst injuries and the hope of a superior offer.
Upon being quizzed on a potential move to the MLS, the Real Madrid star stated that he would 'definitely' be interested. Speaking to The Hat-trick podcast, Bale commented,
"It is a league that is on the rise, continues to grow, and I think many more players want to go to America to play. I would definitely be interested."
Amidst these quotes and reports that Real Madrid were keen to ship out one of their highest earners, there were rumours that he had been offered to other clubs. Most notably, the Athletic noted that there were no takers from the Eastern Conference for Bale due to what has been considered too high a salary.
However, his long-associated agent Jonathan Barnett called out these reports and confirmed that there is no truth to any such rumours. The Englishman said that such reports are 'rubbish' while speaking to ESPN and reiterated that Bale had not been offered to any club, let alone an MLS one.
ESPN also add that the Real Madrid forward and his family are well-settled and happy in Madrid. Despite this, the Welshman could still potentially be put up for a transfer due to his unbelievably high salary and a relatively long contract.
Real Madrid and Bale at a crossroads
Bale and Real Madrid have shared a frosty relationship over the last few years. Things worsened considerably since the arrival of Zinedine Zidane at the help of the Santiago Bernabéu. The Frenchman made it clear that Bale is not in his plans to take the club forward as he maps out Real Madrid's strategic rebuild.
Bale's availability has also been a pressing issue for Real Madrid. The former Tottenham Hotspur winger has had several injury issues in the Spanish capital and has already missed 13 games for them in the 2019/20 season alone. It has been noted that Zidane and Real Madrid's relation with Bale has reached a point where everyone expects the Welshman to depart.
His affinity for playing golf is something else that has made headlines time and again. During the 2019 pre-season, Bale opted not to travel with the Real Madrid squad because he was 'unwell' and Los Blancos lost 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. However, the former Spurs winger was pictured playing golf in Madrid.
Speaking on the situation after their loss to Spurs, Zidane was asked if he saw the picture. The Frenchman remarked,
"You are telling me something that has surely happened. I'm here with my players, and I'm not going to comment on that. I've not seen the picture. I'm here with my players, so I can't say much about that. I hope he's working well. But I'm here with my players, and we will see when we get back to Madrid. I'm not going to tell him off or that he's not allowed to do it. He's old enough to do what he wants."
Real Madrid have resumed first-team training ahead of a potential LaLiga Santander restart in June.