Too early to decide on Bale future, says agent
Gareth Bale’s agent has said it is too early to decide which club the Tottenham Hotspur forward will be at next season, days after the player said he planned to return to Real Madrid at the end of this campaign.
Jonathan Barnett said he and Bale had not yet spoken about the 31-year-old’s future, telling the BBC that there was “no timescale” on the decision-making process.
“He is just concentrating on now,” Barnett said of Bale, who has had a mixed season under Jose Mourinho’s management at Tottenham and will have one year remaining on his Real deal after this campaign.
Bale said earlier this week that he wanted to use his loan spell at Tottenham to build his fitness ahead of the European Championship, insisting there was “no distraction” for him during this international break.
Bale’s Wales team face Mexico in a friendly today before a World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic on Tuesday.
They will be without key midfielder Joe Allen for both matches after he suffered a “soft-tissue injury” in their defeat by Belgium in midweek. Allen is returning to his club, Stoke, for further assessments. His appearance against Belgium was his first international game since 2019 as he missed nine months because of an Achilles tendon injury.
Wales are also without injured Aaron Ramsey and Ben Davies, two of their most important players. Defender James Lawrence is also unable to play because of local coronavirus restrictions in Germany, where he plays for St Pauli.
The meeting with the Czech Republic already feels like it could be crucial to Welsh hopes of qualifying for the World Cup. The Czechs beat Estonia 6-2 in their opening match of the qualifying campaign.
Meanwhile, Chris Gunter will become the first Welshman to reach
a century of caps in the game against Mexico today.
“I’m just very proud,” said Gunter, 31, who will captain the side in recognition of his achievement. “It means the world to me to represent the country and do what I know so many people would love to do.
“It’s tough to put into words because you’ve given your life to hopefully performing for your country. But you never take it for granted.
“I’m very fortunate… the Welsh public and fans, all they ask from a player is effort. Ability is second to your effort, which suits me down to the ground.”