Gareth Bale's time at Real Madrid is drawing to an end and the Welshman, as explained by Zinedine Zidane himself, is into his last 24 or 48 hours as a Los Blancos player. There have been plenty of rumors floating around on social media in the last 12 hours that have Gareth Bale either going to China and making a lot of money or returning to Tottenham Hotspur. According to EuroSport, Bale would become the first-ever footballer to earn £1 million ($1.2 million) a week, with the tax-free offer from the Beijing club exceeding his current contract by a mega £400,000 a week.
Bale joining Beijing Guoan
After leaving the former Tottenham star out of Real’s matchday squad to face Bayern Munich in Houston, Zidane said: “He wasn’t included in the squad because the club is working on his departure and that’s why he didn’t play. The relationship between the Welshman and Zinedine Zidane has broken down entirely with Bale’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, calling the coach “a disgrace” after he admitted he hoped a departure was “imminent”.
Barnett also suggested there could be a surprise in terms of where Bale goes next and Telegraph Sport understands, Beijing Guoan have already made it clear they are interested in taking the 30-year-old to China. According to the Telegraph, Chinese club Beijing Guoan are prepared to make Bale the highest-paid player in the league’s history and that the club has made its intentions clear.
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi is currently the world’s highest-paid player, on more than £900,000 a week. Guoan, valued at £650m ($812m) and backed by state-owned money, are ready to top that though.
Bale was offered no explanation for his absences. He came off the bench to win the 2018 Champions League final against Liverpool with a stunning overhead kick – his fourth European Cup in six years in Spain.
The Wales international has been a key player for Los Blancos and has won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and four UEFA Champions League titles with the club, scoring over 100 goals.
On the other hand, Real Madrid is holding out for a fee of 40 million euros for James Rodriguez and would not block rivals Atletico Madrid from moving for the Colombian.
With no role at the club under Zinedine Zidane, the attacking midfielder has been told to find a new team. Dani Ceballos is also expected to join Arsenal in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Paul Pogba still remains a mystery for Real Madrid fans. Pogba’s Old Trafford future appears in doubt with the midfielder having admitted it may be time for a new challenge. Through the player himself and his outspoken agent Mino Raiola, Real have put pressure on Manchester United to sell their star midfielder. United remain confident of keeping Pogba this summer and doubt there is a buyer on the market capable of meeting their £150m ($187m) valuation of the France midfielder.
