Gareth Bale committed to Real Madrid amid Premier League interest, says Guillem Balague
Monday 9 April 2018 15:10, UK
Guillem Balague says Gareth Bale does not want to leave Real Madrid amid speculation about the Welshman’s future at the club.
Former Tottenham forward Bale has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs.
Bale set up a goal for Cristiano Ronaldo in Real Madrid's 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid at the weekend but the forward didn't play in the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Juventus, with head coach Zinedine Zidane saying Bale was unhappy with being left out.
Balague believes Bale's situation draws parallels with the treatment of James Rodriguez last season. Colombia international Rodriguez joined Bayern Munich in the summer on a two-year loan deal and Balague said a similar fate could await Bale.
Balague said: "Real Madrid are doing the kind of thing they do when they want to get rid of a player or get a lot of money for a player. They did it with James [Rodriguez] last season. He gets left out of the big games, stays on the bench.
"Zidane concurs with that and prefers others instead of James or Bale this season. Against PSG [in the Champions League] Bale was left on the bench for both games. And then he plays in the league. He performed well but he doesn't have an intention of leaving.
"If you want him out of there, you're going to have to kick him out; you're going to have push him because he doesn't want to leave. He may find himself in a position at some point that he might have to go but right now he doesn't want to leave Real Madrid."
Bale has scored 11 goals in 21 La Liga appearances for Real Madrid this season but only featured in four Champions League matches.
In comparison, Ronaldo has scored 23 goals in 24 La Liga appearances. The Portugal international has also scored in the last 10 consecutive games for Real Madrid.
