Real Madrid remain determined to offload Gareth Bale despite upturn in form
By Tom Gott
Real Madrid have not been won over by Gareth Bale's upturn in form and remain determined to offload the Welshman permanently in the summer.
Loaned out to Tottenham at the start of the season, Bale endured a slow start to life back in London but he has since exploded onto the scene with nine goal contributions in his last six games in all competitions.
Bale has bagged ten goals so far this season, as many as Marco Asensio, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior and Eden Hazard combined, and it has prompted speculation that Real may look to bring the Welshman back at the end of the year.
However, according to the Daily Mail, Real's stance is unwavering. They want Bale and his £650,000-a-week wages off the books as soon as possible and would have to see the winger hit a whole new level before they even consider bringing him back.
Real have been delighted to see Bale shining, but purely because it will boost their chances of selling him at the end of the season. If he can prove himself as a genuine weapon for a top side, there could be plenty of suitors for his signature.
Los Blancos' focus is to free up money to fund a squad rebuild this summer. They are still dreaming of landing at least one of Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland, but neither will be possible if they are stuck paying Bale's wages for another season.
90min revealed last week that Bale is set to stay on loan at Spurs for the final year of his Real contract, as the Welshman being in London still reduces the Spanish club's wage bill despite them having having to pay part of the costs.
Mundo Deportivo speculate on Bale's future further and state that Real must be watching, and while they admit a summer departure is far more likely than anything else, they ran a survey among fans to gauge feelings on the Welshman.
Surprisingly, 40% of the voters actually wanted to keep Bale around, which speaks volumes of just how well he has performed this season. The 31-year-old was public enemy number one at the Santiago Bernabeu last year, but his improvement at a time in which Real's forwards are floundering appears to have changed things.
Behind top scorer Karim Benzema, defensive midfielder Casemiro is the only Real player to hit fiveLa Liga goals this season, while Vinicius is the only other forward to reach three.
It's not hard to see why Real are dreaming of adding Haaland and Mbappe this summer, but despite their desire to bump up their attack, it seems as though Bale's name has been firmly crossed off the list.