Gareth Bale's footballing future is set to dominate the headlines for the rest of the summer, with the latest reports coming out of Spain set to raise some eyebrows.
Wales skipper Bale's Real Madrid contract comes to a conclusion at the end of the season, and the 32-year-old's next move is dependent on his country's fate in their World Cup play-off match against Scotland or Ukraine in June. You can read more about that match here.
If Wales qualify for the tournament in Qatar, Bale is likely to pen a short-term deal to keep playing football; there are a number of options he could pursue - you can read more about that here - while the bookmakers see hometown club Cardiff City and former team Tottenham as the favourite destination s.
You'd be hard-pushed to find Real Madrid's fierce rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid on that list, but Spanish outlet El Chiringuito state that Bale's future could lie at those clubs, with the Welshman having supposedly decided to remain in Spain. If he were to join either of those outfits, it would be a 'betrayal' akin to Luis Figo's move from Barcelona to Los Blancos in 2000, they state.
"One of his options is that of retirement, but there is a World Cup ahead and Wales has to play a phase to qualify," journalist Juanfe Sanz told El Chiringuito.
"Gareth Bale, as we know, is in love with the Spanish climate and golf, and he is considering staying in Spain next season to play in La Liga. It would not be at Real Madrid. I'm not authorised to say the name of the clubs, but you don't have to think about it too much to find out which clubs Bale could play for. They don't rule out either FC Barcelona or Atlético de Madrid. There is another possibility, which is the one that the footballer likes least, which is to leave Spain."
If he does decide to stay in Spain, Bale's relationship with the country's media is likely to remain fraught; he has been subjected to increasing abuse from fans and the press in recent years, finally speaking out last month after being labelled a "parasite".
