Real Madrid must give assurances to Gareth Bale over his playing time next season if they want to keep the Welshman, according to his agent.
Bale cast his future at the Bernabeu in doubt moments after he scored in the Champions League final last month, insisting he had not played enough last season under Zinedine Zidane and that he and his agent would discuss his options.
Jonathan Barnett, speaking to Sky Sports News at Royal Ascot, said his client wants to win the Ballon d’Or and although he is happy in Spain, that will not guarantee he remains in the country as they prepare to enter talks with his employers.
‘I think we have to have a chat with Real Madrid and see where we’re going,’ the chairman of Stellar Group told Sky Sports News at Ascot races.
‘He wants a better year than he had last year. He wants to play more, and that’s paramount to him. I think he’s one of the top three or four players on earth. For somebody like him, he has to play. It’s not about money.
‘He wants to win the Ballon d’Or and I think he can. I think he’s the best there has ever been in that sense (a British player abroad), unless someone can name me someone who’s been more successful.
‘I think that goal (in the Champions League final) elevated an interest in him. But we already knew how good he is. He doesn’t need to prove how good he is. It was a magnificent goal and the timing was great too.’
Bale will not be short of suitors this summer, should he become available, with a number of Premier League clubs watching closely.
But the departure of Zinedine Zidane, who regularly selected Isco over Bale, has changed the dynamic and the Welshman will look to kick-start his Madrid career under new boss Julen Lopetegui.
When asked if Bale could join the Unai Emery revolution at Arsenal this summer, Barnett, an Arsenal fan himself, admitted the move was highly unlikely.
‘He loves his life in Spain,’ Barnett continued. ‘He has three children, and he’s very happy there. But we have to see. He has to play football.
‘(As an Arsenal supporter) I’d love him to play there but it’s got as much chance as me going to the moon.’
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