IS BALE’S £1M-A-WEEK MOVE TO CHINA OFF?

Real Madrid ‘pull plug on deal’

Gareth Bale’s £1m-a-week deal with Jiangsu Suning looks to have collapsed.

The 30-year-old had looked set to leave Real Madrid and head to the Chinese Super League after Spanish outlet

Marca had claimed there were only minor details to sort on a three-year deal.

However, yesterday afternoon it seemed the move had fallen through – with Bale set to stay in the Spanish capital.

It has been suggested that Real pulled the plug after a failure by the two clubs to agree a price for Bale.

The Spanish club’s president Fiorentino Perez is reported to be blocking the move as he believes Bale is too valuable to let go for a minimal fee.

With the Chinese transfer window closing on Wednesday, a move there does seemingly look dead in the water now – with a stay in Madrid now likely.

However, it remains to be seen how Bale can work with manager Zinedine Zidane, if he does indeed stay at the Bernabeau.

Relations between Bale and Zidane have been strained ever since the Frenchman returned to the Bernabeu, and matters have come to a head over the past week. The Real boss revealed that it would be “better for everybody” if Bale left the Spanish capital, prompting his agent Jonathan Barnett to label him “a disgrace”.

With Bale set to stay, and with the implication that Madrid and Perez are the ones to have pulled the plug, it could raise questions over Zidane’s role at the Spanish giants if he is unable to sell a player he has publicly advertised as available – especially after an embarrassing 7-3 pre-season thrashing by rivals Atletico Madrid.