Bale defiant as Zidane tells him to leave Real
GARETH BALE was told he is not wanted at Real Madrid in a face-to-face meeting last week with head coach Zinedine Zidane, but he remains adamant that he wants to stay at the club.
The 29-year-old was called into coach Zidane’s office at the club’s Valdebebas training ground last week for a one-to-one meeting.
Sportsmail understands the exchange was brief and frosty with Bale hearing nothing he did not already know — that relations with Zidane have not improved since the last time the French coach was at the club.
Bale was left out of Sunday’s home game against Villarreal and does not expect to be involved in the final two games of the season.
He told his manager he wants to stay to fight for his place next season and the stalemate is now likely to carry on into the summer as Madrid try to bring in Chelsea’s Eden Hazard, Manchester United’s Paul Pogba and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Luka Jovic.
Bale and Zidane fell out last season when the Wales international returned from injury in the last few weeks of the season and felt he had played his way back into the team for the Champions League final against Liverpool.
Zidane left Bale on the bench, bringing him on during the second half and seeing him score twice to land Real Madrid their 13th — and the Welshman’s fourth — Champions League title.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth’s hopes of keeping hold of Ryan Fraser this summer are fading.
The winger, 25, has been their standout player this season. He has been involved in 21 Premier League goals, scoring seven and setting up 14, including Nathan Ake’s winner against Tottenham on Saturday.
Only Chelsea’s Eden Hazard, with 15, has set up more goals than Fraser in Europe’s top five leagues.
Bournemouth are desperate to retain the 5ft 4in Scot, who is about to enter the final year of his contract. But Fraser has so far rebuffed a new deal.
Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea and Newcastle are all keen to sign him. Cherries manager Eddie Howe said: ‘We would sign Ryan to a new contract tomorrow but that’s obviously a two-way process.’