Gareth Bale remains “one of the best players on the planet” and will not be leaving Real Madrid on a “makeshift” deal, according to his agent.
Los Blancos head coach Zinedine Zidane has denied showing a lack of respect towards the Wales forward, who appears on the verge of a departure from the Spanish club.
Zidane said Bale did not play against Bayern Munich last weekend because he did not want to as his future remains unresolved.
Former Tottenham forward Bale, 30, trained with the rest of the Real Madrid squad on Monday ahead of the pre-season International Champions Cup fixture against Arsenal in Maryland.
Zidane told reporters that he would always back his players, after facing criticism over comments about Bale’s potential departure.
Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett had labelled Zidane a “disgrace” over the handling of his client, and maintains any transfer will be done in the best interests of the Welshman.
“There will be no makeshift deals to get him out of the club. Gareth is one of the best players on the planet. I can guarantee you he will not be going on loan to any club,” Barnett said to Sky Sports News.
⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/srwHYe6L7B— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) July 20, 2019
“Gareth is a Real Madrid player and for now he is staying as a Real Madrid player.
“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.”
At a press conference on Monday ahead of the Arsenal friendly at FedExField in Landover, Zidane told reporters he wanted to be “very clear” about the situation.
“What I said the other day is that the club was working on his exit,” Zidane said.
🇺🇸✅🎯 We're playing at the FedExField and the MetLife Stadium this week – and @marcoasensio10 has already scored at both stadiums!#RealMadridIsHere#RMTourpic.twitter.com/XeZjfsYKy3— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) July 23, 2019
“Gareth didn’t come on (against Bayern Munich) because he didn’t want to. He said that the club was working on his exit and that’s why he didn’t come on.
“Gareth is a Real Madrid player, he’ll train as normal today and we’ll have to see what happens tomorrow.”
Zidane added: “The club is doing what it has to and that’s all there is to it.
“Bale is currently part of the squad and I respect that. That’s the most important thing for me.”
Any departure would come six years after Bale arrived from Tottenham in a then world-record £85million deal.
PA understands long-term admirers Manchester United are not interested in the Wales international and a return to Spurs looks unlikely.
However, odds on a move to German giants Bayern Munich are shortening as well as those over a potentially-lucrative switch to the Chinese Super League.
