Gareth Bale Reveals He Is Open to a Premier League Return

Gareth Bale has revealed he is desperate for first team football, wherever that may be, but Real Madrid are making any potential departure 'difficult'.

A story between man and club that has been rumbling on for years appears no closer to a conclusion, with Bale falling out of favour under Zinedine Zidane, but Madrid being unable to shift the Welshman due to his high wages and the length of his contract remaining.

Last summer it appeared as if Bale would depart the Santiago Bernabeu for China, only for Real to opt out of the deal at the last minute and retain the 31-year-old. Speaking to Sky Sports, the forward expressed his disappointment at the decision having been enticed by the project, while admitting other offers have since come in.

"I tried to leave last year but they [Real Madrid] blocked everything at the last second," Bale said. "It was a project I was excited for last year but it didn't materialise. And there have been other instances but the club won't allow it or something, so it's up to the club."

A Premier League return has been persistently mooted for the four-time Champions League winner, who has made only 33 La Liga starts over the last two seasons. Confessing that his current employers are making it hard for him to leave, Bale opened the door to a potential return to English football if the opportunity were to come about.

"I want to play football. I'm still motivated to play football. I'm 31 but I'm in great shape still and I feel I've got a lot to give," he added. "We'll see what happens. It's in the club's hands and they make things very difficult to be honest."

"It's not really in my hands. If those options [a move to the Premier League] arise, it's something I'd look at for sure. We'll see what happens, we have plenty of time in this transfer window and a couple of others as well. Time will tell but mainly I think the reason is that the decision is in Real Madrid's hands."

Bale is currently away with the Welsh national team as they prepare for their Nations League double-header against Finland and Bulgaria in Group H.

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