After nine trophy-laden years at Santiago Bernabeu, the Welshman is likely to move on to a new challenge this summer. Joshua Barnett, one of Gareth Bale’s agents, has laughed off speculation of the Wales international staying in Spain after leaving Real Madrid as a free agent, stating that the son of Jonathan Barnett, the man who oversees the 32-year-career, old’s has had no communication with La Liga minnows Getafe. Bale has spent the previous nine years of his career at Real Madrid, winning three Liga titles and five Champions League wins while scoring over 100 goals. However, his role in the squad has shrunk in recent seasons, and the club has acknowledged that his contract will be terminated.
Bale has been strongly linked with a return to the Premier League after previous spells at Tottenham and Southampton, but there have been suggestions that his agents are looking for other suitors in Spain. Getafe president Angel Torres has claimed that representatives of a man heading to the World Cup finals in Qatar later this year have been in touch to gauge whether they would be interested in bringing him to Coliseum Alfonso Perez. The Madrid-based club are considered among the lesser clubs in La Liga and certainly won’t be rivalling the Blancos for top honours in the Spanish capital, but Torres sees Bale’s arrival as a realistic “possibility”. “Someone may take it as a joke, but 45 or 50 minutes ago I spoke with his agents, and they offered him to us. It is not a joke,” the Getafe president has told reporters. “I have to think about it and talk to the coach. I don’t know if he will come. Of course it’s a possibility, all great footballers are. “They have offered it to me and I have kindly listened. From there I will consult with the coach. Anything is possible.”
Joshua Barnett has said that the discussions being claimed by Getafe would be impossible as he has no way of contacting the president of a club based on the outskirts of Madrid. He has told Fabrizio Romano: “I don’t even have the president of Getafe’s number.” With that in mind, a deal that keeps Bale in La Liga remains unlikely, with the expectation being that he will return to British shores this summer.
Bale addressed the ongoing speculation over his future before helping Wales reach their first World Cup in 64 years with a playoff victory over Ukraine. The veteran attacker said he had “no worries” about his future and was only focused on the game, but when asked if he has any offers on the table for next season, he replied: “Yeah, I’ve got loads.”