'Bale staying at Madrid impossible' - Calderon

The possibility of Gareth Bale remaining at Real Madrid is "impossible" because of his relationship with Zinedine Zidane, according to the club's former president Ramon Calderon. Bale was an unused substitute as Madrid wrapped up a poor LaLiga campaign with a 2-0 loss at home to Real Betis on Sunday. The Wales forward scored a brace to help deliver Zidane's third consecutive Champions League title at Madrid a year ago, but his days at the club now look numbered.

Calderon indicated Zidane would have preferred to have sold Bale rather than Cristiano Ronaldo, a club decision widely reported to be central to the Frenchman's shock resignation after they beat Liverpool in the Champions League final in Kiev. Bale has played a bit-part role since Zidane's return in March and Calderon feels it is inevitable the 29-year-old will now depart.

"Zidane is not keen on him; it is a relationship that will come to an end," Calderon told BBC Sport. "It seems it was his last game for Real Madrid. Zidane, last year when he left, he thought it was imperative to keep Ronaldo and to sell Bale, and they decided not to do that. It seems it is impossible for him to be here... because of the coach and the relationship with the fans. They think he is not committed and that is a problem. The best thing for him is to move. He should take the opportunity if there is one."

 

March 29, 2019

Bale's possible destinations are limited by his high wages, however, with Calderon predicting Madrid will have to take a financial hit on a player they bought for what was then a world-record £85million in 2013.

"Maybe he will go on loan," Calderon added. "It is a problem when the coach and player do not get along, you have to look at every option to find a solution. The problem is the salary is a high salary. He has not been lucky at Madrid since the beginning. Fans thought for the money he would be better than Cristiano and that was really impossible. It is a divorce that is difficult to solve. They will find a loan or a transfer for perhaps a low amount of money."

Madrid are likely to be linked with a move for Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe after he hinted he was considering leaving the Ligue 1 champions on Sunday.