Bale's level complicates a possible sale

The season in which Bale was to take over from Cristiano Ronaldo is drawing to a close without the Welshman having performed on the pitch. Nor did he ever do so in the dressing room, introverted and struggling for many years with the language. His behaviour is reflected on the pitch.

Bale returned to the starting line-up against Getafe after playing just 30 minutes over the last two games for Real Madrid. Far from taking the opportunity as his time to shine, he settled in the left wing, lacked consistency and only pulled his weight when his position was threatened by a teammate.

The same attitude was witnessed during his contributions, or lack of, against Getafe. Although Karim Benzema didn't manage to score on Thursday night, without the Frenchman's previous goals, Madrid are unlikely to win games at the moment.

Since Zidane's arrival, there has been nothing but confirmation that his relationship with Bale has been broken since the final of the Kiev Champions League. The coach no longer relies on a star player but one who puts out irregular performances.

Bale knows that he does not fit into Zidane's plans for next season and has told the club that he does not want to leave under such circumstances. It is clear from the club's top echelons that they will give him away neither for a low price nor give in to the Welshman.

It is an option that they won't consider because they understand that Premier League clubs are still interested in him and the offers should flood in.

Real Madrid have no intentions of entertaining offers that don't exceed the 100 million euro mark, which would recover the transfer made when he signed for the Spanish giants.

Getting rid of the 15 million euros that Gareth Bale earns a year is key to the arrival of new star players who will hope to assume the responsibility that the Welsh winger has not.

He has two matches left at the Bernabéu, against Villarreal and Real Betis, which will like reflect the cycle of a footballer who should have been the natural heir to Cristiano Ronaldo but did not meet the high expectations.