Real Madrid is where I want to retire – Bale

> New contract ties Welshman until June 2022

president Josep Maria Bartomeu says contract negotiations will take place with 29-yearold Argentina forward Lionel Messi “in the next couple of months”.

MANCHESTER UNITED and England winger Jesse Lingard, 23, is set to sign a new contract that will double his £30,000-aweek wages.

PORTUGAL winger Goncalo Guedes is a target for United, but the 19-year-old wants to stay at Benfica until the end of the season.

LYON are set to offer a new deal to 25-year-old France striker Alexandre Lacazette, who is a target for West Ham.

CHELSEA are set to loan out Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas, 29, in January.

THE BLUES are keen to sign Paris St-Germain’s 27-year-old Argentina midfielder Javier Pastore.

MANCHESTER UNITED have no intention of selling 27-year-old Armenia midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan in January.

URUGUAY striker Edinson Cavani, 29, has held talks with Paris St-Germain about his future at the French champions.

TOTTENHAM are considering a January loan move for 24-year-old Real Madrid and Spain midfielder Isco.

MEANWHILE, 29-year-old France international Hugo Lloris is Spurs’ “best ever goalkeeper”, according to former striker Teddy Sheringham.

FORMER England midfielder Glenn Hoddle will be named Tottenham’s “greatest player of all time”.

MARSEILLE are interested in Liverpool target Geoffrey Kondogbia, and could move for the 23-year-old Inter Milan midfielder in January.

WHEN HE was asked yesterday about the wages which come with his new six-year deal at Real Madrid, Gareth Bale was giving little away. “That’s for me to know and no-one else to find out, sorry,” he said.

It will not stop the speculation, though, with suggestions that the 27year-old superstar will now be earning in the region of £18million (RM92.3m) a year – £350,000 (RM1.79m) per week after tax – and is in the top three bestpaid players in the world, along with Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Real teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.

But what he was giving away was that he can see himself finishing his career at Madrid after putting pen to paper yesterday on a deal which ties him to Real until June 30, 2022.

Bale (left) has been regularly linked with a big-money move back to England but can envisage ending his top-flight career at the Bernabeu.

“Yeah, for sure. The reason I signed here for so long is because I am very happy here,” said Bale.

“I feel more comfortable every year that I’m here as well. I am improving my Spanish, my family’s more settled. I fully intend to see out my contract here.

“Obviously in the future, I don’t know when I am going to retire, but I am very happy here at the moment and for the next six years I am not looking past that really.”

United have long been linked with a move for Bale, even before the Welshman left Spurs to join Real in 2013 for a then-world record fee of £85.3million.

As recently as last month there was speculation of a possible attempt by the Red Devils to sign the flying forward, but Bale himself insists he knows nothing about any transfer talk.

He said: “I couldn’t tell you if anyone’s been interested. Since I’ve been here I’ve been fully concentrated on playing for Real Madrid.

“I am very happy here which shows why I have signed another six-year deal and we never really speak about these things. The main thing for me is to concentrate on my football and everything else is dealt with behind the scenes.”

Bale left White Hart Lane without winning a major trophy with Spurs, but he has helped Real lift five pieces of silverware in three years, including the Champions League in 2014 and 2016.

He has also scored 62 goals and had 34 assists in 135 official games for the Spanish giants, forming part of the team’s much-vaunted ‘BBC’ strikeforce alongside Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

Bale concedes it has not all been plain-sailing for him in Spain, with the former Southampton youngster having had to deal with injuries and criticism.

But he insists all that has helped him develop as a player and a person.

He said: “It’s been a difficult journey. It’s very difficult for British players to come over to any European club. I’ve had my difficult times and I’ve had good times. I think it’s all a learning curve.

“I have really grown up as a person and I have enjoyed every experience, whether it’s been good or bad.

“I feel happy here, I feel loved by the fans here and want to give everything for the shirt to win try and win as many trophies as I can.” – Express Newspapers