Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has made it clear that Manchester United target Gareth Bale could leave for a price next summer.
Jose Mourinho publicly expressed interest in the Welshman back in August ahead of his side’s UEFA Super Cup defeat to Madrid but, contrary to various Spanish reports, no formal bid was ever made.
Some reports have claimed that Man United’s refusal to prize Bale away from the Bernabeu precluded the Champions League winners from signing Kylian Mbappe.
And Perez, speaking earlier this week, refused to rule out the notion of Bale leaving Madrid during the summer of 2018.
“Gareth Bale? He is one of our best players and we are very pleased with him,” he said. “There were no offers for him and what Mourinho said in relation to him was just said in a complimentary way.
“Every player is transferable right now and we’ll see what happens in a year, although I don’t know what’ll happen next year, just as nobody does.”
The president also noted that a new deal for Isco was on the verge of completion, which only serves as further evidence of Zinedine Zidane straying further towards an attacking mould that no longer requires the Welshman.
They did not make any significant signings this summer and didn’t need to. The strength in depth and sheer confidence pervading the squad is unparalleled anywhere in the world, but you sense that next year will see both Bale and, dare I say, Cristiano Ronaldo move on, with the Frenchman placing emphasis on building a new attacking dynamic around Isco and Marco Asensio.
And supporters will be desperate to see Mourinho, when the time comes, take advantage of a potential reshuffle next summer.