Zinedine Zidane has said that Gareth Bale’s future will not be decided until the end of the season amid speculation of a return to the Premier League.
Bale has been long been linked with a return to England ever since his £86 million world record move to Real Madrid back in 2013, although he has, of course, remained in the Spanish capital, where he has scored crucial goals in two Champions League finals.
However, the recent return of Zinedine Zidane to the Real Madrid dugout has seen speculation surrounding Bale’s future at the club intensify, with Manchester United, Spurs, Liverpool and Chelsea all having been linked at one point or another.
With Los Blancos currently floundering 12 points behind Barcelona in third place in La Liga, and having been dumped out of the Champions League by Ajax, there could be big changes at the Bernabeu in the summer with Zidane said to have been handed more power in the transfer market.
The Wales international is not thought to be one of the French manager’s favourites, and speaking ahead of the 3-2 win over bottom side Huesca on Sunday, Zidane discussed Bale’s situation.
“Gareth is an important member of the squad,” Zidane said.
“We know what he has done here, even in Champions League finals.
“Nobody can take away what he has done. We know he can bring a lot to the team, and we will count on him.
“We are going to play these [last] 10 games [of the season], and then we will see. That does not mean that, afterwards, there will be changes.”