linked with a move to Manchester United, but with
Rafa Benitez now at the helm, he is likely to
remain in the Spanish capital
As Manchester United prepared to make their
three of the Real Madrid forward's representatives
flew to the Spanish capital capital to demand clarity on
their client's future.
Jonathan Barnett, his son Joshua and David
Manasseh from Stellar Group sat down with Real
Madrid president Florentino Perez and told him
that United were willing to pay up to €140 million
for the Welshman.
Bale's priority was to stay in Madrid and prove
himself - and his camp were given the answer they
were looking for.
Perez committed £86m to signing Bale for a world
record fee in 2013 and despite the mounting
pressure, he still considers the 25-year-old as the
future of the club.
The message is clear. Bale is not for sale this
summer, however hard United try to tempt him
back to the Premier League.
For all the criticism Bale has received over the last
nine months, he still retains the backing of the
man who really matters at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Perez is determined to protect his investment.
With Cristiano Ronaldo now 30, the hope is that
Bale will step up, emerge from the Portuguese's
shadow and announce himself as the main man
under new coach Rafael Benitez.
That may well include a change in role for the
former Tottenham star.
Bale has mostly played on the right side of a
4-3-3 since joining the club, but there is an
expectation that he will play in a more central
position under Benitez.
One of the reasons Benitez was appointed to
succeed Ancelotti was his promise to get the best
out of Bale and it was no surprise that the pair met
in Cardiff ahead of Wales' Euro 2016 qualifier
against Belgium earlier this month.
Bale believes he is isolated on the right and often
ignored by team-mates, a complaint that was
verbalised by his agent in May.
"Real have to work with Gareth and pass the ball
to him more," Jonathan Barnett told the Daily
Telegraph .
"Give him more of the ball and let him show
everybody what he's good at. He's going to be the
best player at Real Madrid when his team-mates
work with him and help him. Hopefully Real will
come to terms with Benitez hopes to use Bale in a similar way to his
deployment of Steven Gerrard during his time as
Liverpool manager.
Bale has thrived in a position just behind the main
striker before. It was his performances there in his
final season for Spurs that convinced Madrid to
break the world record to sign him while he has
driven Wales' Euro 2016 qualification campaign in
a similar position.
While this paints a positive picture for Bale's
future, clubs are queueing up to pounce should he
disappoint for a second season in a row.
Manchester City and Chelsea are also closely
monitoring his situation, but sources say United
executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is
"obsessed" with one day bringing Bale to Old
Trafford.
Some people in the Spanish capital would not be
sad to see him go.
While his relationship with Ronaldo is cordial, there
is a palpable tension between the two most
expensive players in history.
Ronaldo remains the star of the show at Real
Madrid - he scored 61 goals in all competitions
last season - and Bale has been cast in his
shadow.
The knock-on effect has been that Bale has often
been a peripheral figure in matches as team-mates
look to Ronaldo on the other side of the pitch for
inspiration.
After an impressive debut season in which he
scored 22 goals including crucial strikes in Real
Madrid's Champions League and Copa del Rey
triumphs, Bale struggled in his second campaign
at the Santiago Bernabeu.
He still scored 17 times but came in for criticism
from fans and the media for his poor performances
in big matches.
Bale is confident in his ability, but even he was
forced to question whether he was wanted after
finding himself whistled and jeered by a section of
supporters inside the Bernabeu.
He also had his car punched and kicked by angry
supporters following the defeat to bitter rivals
Barcelona in March and was verbally abused again
a month later after his lacklustre performance in
the Champions League quarter-final against
Juventus.
The Madrid supporters are fickle, but how they
treat Bale will depend entirely on his performances
next season.
It will be the biggest season of Bale's career as he
looks to save his Real Madrid dream. ."
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