Gareth Bale is set to leave his wife and three kids 5,700 miles away in Wales – to earn £1million a week in China.
Gareth – who wed school sweetheart Emma last month – will make the sacrifice to secure their financial future as the world’s best-paid player.
Emma, 27, Alba Violet, six, Nava Valentina, three, and Axel Charles, one, will live in the family’s £4million farmhouse while he plays in Nanjing.
Ex-Spurs star Bale, 30, wanted a Premier League comeback but no club matched his £600,000-a-week Real Madrid pay.
So he decided Jiangsu Suning FCs three-year deal is “too good to turn down”.
“It’s a big decision,” a relative said. “But Gareth’s the wrong side of 30 now so has to make the most of the next few years.
“It’s a sacrifice they’re prepared to make for £1million a week.
“After all, they never really settled in Spain so they’d have no chance in China.”
After his then-world record £85million switch in 2013 the family lived in Spain but regularly returned as homesick Gareth and boss Zinedine Zidane fell out.
“It’d be too much of a culture shock to move to China with three young children,” the relative added.
“They didn’t learn Spanish so I can’t see Gareth having Mandarin lessons any time soon.
“And he’s not much of a fan of Chinese food – even when he’s home.”