Real Madrid 'willing to pay half of Gareth Bale's wages' in bid to seal transfer exit

Real Madrid are reportedly willing to pay half of Gareth Bale's wages in order to offload the Welshman this summer.

Tottenham and Manchester United have been linked with a move for the winger who left Spurs seven years ago to join Los Blancos.

Bale has admitted he would consider a return to the Premier League after hitting out at his current club for "blocking everything at the last second" as he tried to get out to move to China last summer.

The 31-year-old earns a mammoth £600,000-a-week in the Spanish capital and has two years left on the lucrative deal.

And, according to The Telegraph, Real are willing to subsidise those wages in order to help Bale strike an agreement with a new club.

Bale is not in boss Zinedine Zidane's plans and was frozen out of the side following the season restart last term.

The duo are not on good terms after Bale was an unused substitute for the final games of the campaign, before being left out altogether on the last day.

Bale was given permission to remain in Madrid when Real travelled to the Etihad for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 defeat to Manchester City.

He started just 12 La Liga games for Real last term and agent Jonathan Barnett could rethink his stance on a loan move, which he had previously ruled out, given Real's willingness to subsidise the player's wages.

Despite his difficulties, Bale's spell in Madrid will be seen as a huge success.

He has won La Liga twice, the Copa del Rey and four Champions League crowns, including three in three years between 2016 and 2018.