The Welshman has been dropped for a second successive league game as rumours swirl about his future
Gareth Bale has been left out of Real Madrid’s squad to face Real Sociedad in their penultimate Liga game of the season amidst reports head coach Zinedine Zidane wants him gone in the summer.
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The Welshman has been dropped for the second league game running after missing the 3-2 victory over Villarreal.
AS reported on Wednesday that the player’s relationship with his manager appears to be beyond repair and that the Frenchman wants to sell him when the summer transfer window reopens.
Bale’s performance in the 1-0 defeat against Rayo Vallecano saw him come in for a great deal of criticism and it’s possible that that will be his final appearance for the club.
The forward’s contract has three seasons left to run and the 29-year-old’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, has insisted his client is happy to remain at the club but that Zidane doesn’t seem to want him to.
Barnett also confirmed that a move to the Premier League could be a possibility, if a team comes up with the money to tempt Madrid to sell.
Zidane has refused to respond to the agent’s comments when they were put to him at a news conference on Saturday, saying: “No, I don’t want to answer. I’m the coach of Real Madrid and [Barnett] does his job.
“I have to think about the game, playing well, that’s what worries me. I won’t tell you anything about [the conversation]. Private conversations are private.
“It’s what I have to do with all of the players, but it stays internal. With the players I talk about other things, not just their futures.”
Los Blancos have suffered a poor season and sit third, six points behind local rivals Atletico Madrid in second and 15 points off title-winning Barcelona.
As a result, both Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari were dismissed and Zidane was reinstated to oversee a major squad overhaul.
Bale’s potential departure would make room for Chelsea forward Eden Hazard, with Madrid keen on securing the Belgian in the summer.
Goal understands that the Blues are holding out for €130 million (£112m/$145m) for their star man, with the 28-year-old desperate to secure a move to the Bernabeu.