Gareth Bale loan move ‘not on the menu’

Gareth Bale’s agent says the forward may well remain a Real Madrid player next season while adding that a potential loan move away from the Bernabeu is “not on the menu”.

The Wales winger has been heavily touted to leave the Spanish capital this summer having fallen down the pecking order at Madrid.

Last season was supposed to be one where Bale emerged as a talisman following Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure but it did now turn out like that. He started only five of Los Blancos’s last 11 games of the campaign following the return of Zinedine Zidane, with the French coach openly admitting he is not a big fan of Bale.

The arrival of Eden Hazard from Chelsea and Brazilian Rodrygo from Santos appears to push Bale further down the pecking order. His agent Jonathan Barnett ruled out the chances of him going out on loan and said the player is happy to stay in the Spanish capital if that transpires.

“I don’t think he wants to go out on loan. He’s got a lovely life and home in Spain. I think it would take something exceptional for him to leave and loans are not on the menu,” Barnett told Sky Sports News.

Bale, 29, has won four Champions League titles since joining Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013 for a then world record fee of €100m. A return to England’s top flight has been talked about and while Bennett feels he would be fine at Manchester United, a move to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side also seems unlikely.

“He could fit in there. I think he could do very well – he is still one of the best players in the world. But it is very unlikely,” he added. Real Madrid are 2.20 to win La Liga next season.