Bale hopes for Real stay but will consider other options

Madrid: Gareth Bale will consider his future at the end of the season but his first choice is still to stay at Real Madrid.

Sources have told AFP that Real remain Bale’s most likely employer next term but a move back to the Premier League is not being ruled out, with Manchester United retaining a strong interest.

A return to Tottenham, where Bale played between 2007 and 2013, is understood to be unlikely, given the expected finances involved in any potential deal.

Bale scored twice as Real thrashed Las Palmas 3-0 in La Liga on Saturday but it remains to be seen whether he is picked for tomorrow’ s all-important Champions League clash against Juventus.

While Bale was left on for 90 minutes in Gran Canaria, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos and Marcelo were all rested as Zinedine Zidane kept one eye on the quarter-final first leg in Turin.

Bale is no longer an automatic pick for Real’s biggest games and sources suggest he was particularly hurt by his omission for the two last- 16 legs against Paris St Germain.

Another snub in Italy this week would be a bitter pill to swallow but the suggestion the Welshman has already made his mind up to leave Real is wide of the mark.

Bale believes he can still regain status as a key player under Zidane, whose own future, albeit strengthened by the wins over PSG, is also by no means guaranteed.

Real think highly of Bale, who became the most capped British player in La Liga history this month and whose conduct on and off the pitch is in keeping with what the club believe to be their values and traditions.