Ben Guest
The agent of Gareth Bale has said that Zinedine Zidane wants to push his client out of the Real Madrid exit door, despite him wanting to stay at the club.
Bale has been a peripheral figure if Zidane’s squad in both of the Frenchman’s stints at the club, and he was completely excluded from Los Blancos matchday squad for last Sundays 3-2 win over Villarreal, with Zidane since saying ‘You can interpret it as you wish’.
There has been plenty of talk over recent months that the Welshman could be set for a return to the Premier League, but his agent, Jonathan Barnett, has confirmed the winger wants to remain in the Spanish capital and is happy to sit out the remaining three years on his contract if needs be.
“He wants to stay,” Barnett told Sky Sports.
“I am not sure that Mr Zidane wants him to stay but at the moment Gareth wants to stay.
“He has got a contract, he will quite happily see it out until 2022. He has been and is, in my opinion, one of the top three or four players in the world.
“This game is a game of opinions and Mr Zidane doesn’t think that.
“That is his opinion, he is entitled to it, I won’t criticise him.”
It is thought that Bale’s contract extension which he signed in 2016 sees him earn £350,000-a-week after tax, and when asked if his client could return the English top flight, Barnett admitted that a move is possible, but suggested that he doesn’t really fancy taking too much of a pay cut.
“It certainly is possible, if somebody puts their hand in their pocket and pays us what we think he deserves.
“It is going to be a lot of money!”
Manchester United have long been linked with Bale, while a return to White Hart Lane has been speculated also, although Spurs are likely to be unwilling to match his wage demands.
Chelsea have been previously linked, but are unable to sign any players for two transfer windows after their appeal against a FIFA transfer ban was rejected yesterday.
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