Gareth Bale (Finally) Wants to Leave Real Madrid After Matchday Snub by Zinedine Zidane
By Tom Gott
Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale is ready to push for a move away from the club next summer after growing frustrated with almost everyone at the club.
The Welshman came close to leaving during the summer - despite his agent's repeated public insistence that he would be honouring the remaining three years of his contract in Madrid - but saw a move to Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning collapse at the last minute.
While manager Zinedine Zidane was the main driver in attempting to rid Real's of Bale this summer, the Welshman has actually been one of the club's most important players so far this season, scoring twice and assisting as many in the opening six La Liga games.
However, Bale was (surprisingly) completely dropped from the matchday squad to face Club Brugge in the Champions League last Tuesday. According to AS, it's a decision has left Bale fuming.
He was dropped without any explanation, but they swiftly reinstated for the next La Liga game against Granada. Bale was left confused as to why Zidane would do that, especially without speaking to him first.
He feels he is in great form and is only going to improve with regular game time, so to be abruptly dropped is said to have left him asking questions about his future.
However, it's not just Zidane who has upset Bale. The Welshman fears that the club's directors do not support him either.
Bale believes that club officials were always protective of former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, say AS, and he is concerned that he is not receiving the same treatment, despite actually proving to be one of Real's top performers this season.
As a result, he is now thought to be ready to leave Madrid after years of digging in his heels. AS claim he has notified his agent of his desire to leave, and the hope is that he will be able to find a new home once the current season comes to a close. The main problem, just as it was during the summer, is that few teams around the world can afford to sign Bale, while those that do have the capital may choose to spend their money on players under 30 with a shorter injury history.
Jiangsu Suning came close to striking a deal in the summer, but that was only because Real had initially agreed to let Bale leave on a free transfer. His high wage demands mean that few teams could afford to offer a satisfactory transfer fee as well.
With his contract not set to expire until 2022, Bale's market value is dropping slowly. Although, now with manager and player seemingly on the same page with regards to the player's future, an exit may be a little easier to facilitate. A little.