Gareth Bale’s agent has ruled out any loan deal for the Real Madrid forward as the Spanish side seek to offload the Wales international.
The 30-year-old is out of favour with Real and manager Zinedine Zidane has said the club are “working on his departure”.
“There will be no makeshift deals to get him out of the club,” agent Jonathan Barnett told Sky Sports television yesterday.
“Gareth is one of the best players on the planet. I can guarantee you he will not be going on loan to any club.”
Bale has won four Champions League titles since joining Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013 for a then world record transfer fee of 100mn euros ($111.79mn) but struggled to hold down a starting spot last season.
The interest of European clubs in a permanent deal for Bale is likely to depend on his willingness to accept a salary cut.
Chinese Super League clubs Jiangsu Suning and Beijing Guoan have been linked to the player in media reports.
“Gareth is a Real Madrid player and for now he’s staying as a Real Madrid player,” said Barnett.
“If something comes along that suits us then things could change and he could be gone in a day or a week. Or he could still be a Real player in three years when his contract ends.”
I have not ‘disrespected’ Bale, says Zidane
Zidane on Monday had said he had not “disrespected” Bale and it was the club who wanted to sell the Welsh forward, not him personally.
Bale did not play for Real in their 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the International Champions Cup on Saturday, with Zidane revealing his absence was due to the club “working on his departure”.
Bale’s agent labelled Zidane a “disgrace” in an interview with AFP but the Frenchman defended his conduct ahead of Real Madrid’s pre-season clash with Arsenal in Washington, DC.
“At times my Spanish is very suspect,” Zidane told reporters. “I want to be very clear about this. Firstly, I have not disrespected anybody and least of all the player.
“I have always said the same, the players are the most important and every time I am with a player here I will be with them always.
“Second thing, I said the club is trying to sell him. Third point, I think it is very important and crucial to say that the other day Gareth did not change (play) because he did not want to.
“He will train with us today. He will train with the squad today but tomorrow is tomorrow.
“Gareth is a Real Madrid player. That is the most important thing, he is a player for the squad.”
In this July 17, 2019, picture, Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale takes part during a practice session in Montreal, Canada. (Reuters)
