Los Angeles FC hope to have a "long-term" partnership with Gareth Bale.
The Welshman joined the MLS side on an initial one-year deal which could be extended by a further 18 months. The Western Conference leaders are yet to officially announce the capture of Wales star Bale, who himself confirmed he would be moving across the Atlantic after posting a video on his social media channels.
And while Bale will be itching to be at peak condition for the World Cup later this year, LA co-president and general manager John Thorrington is confident the 32-year-old will be eager to remain in America well beyond the Qatar tournament.
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"I'd love to get into specifics but I don't as a policy, but what I can tell you is that LAFC and Gareth are hoping that this is a long-term partnership," he said. "It was never about six months just for the World Cup. We were always talking about longer term than that. That was very clear from Gareth and his representative.
"When Gareth is looking at what he needs to do, his priority will be at LAFC - we are absolutely sure of that - but we're not naïve to the fact that he, like some other players of ours, have a World Cup on the horizon."
Bale is expected to officially seal a switch to Los Angeles in early July, with Italy legend Giorgio Chiellini also poised to join him in California. The 2022 MLS season runs through until early October, although the play-offs and MLS Cup could extend the season by a month.
It means Bale is likely to be playing up until just before the Premier League and Championship campaigns are halted on November 12, with Wales facing the USA in their World Cup opener in Al-Rayyan nine days later.
And Thorrington says LA will do all in their power to cater to Bale's needs to ensure he is at his destructive best for both the MLS side and Wales. "We have done incredible diligence and it was an open, transparent conversation and we quickly saw it was a right match in the face of stiff competition worldwide - and he agreed and we're excited to welcome him in the next couple of weeks," Thorrington added.
"It wasn't a financial conversation with Gareth or us. If Gareth was making this decision with financial motives he wouldn't be in MLS.
"This league is really exciting globally and he saw an opportunity to make a real impact. He sees here an opportunity to make a difference with the stage we provide.
"He sees the chance to pull this sport up to competing with the other sports. As much as possible, understanding how to manage a player like Gareth, a Ferrari or thoroughbred racehorse, they need extra attention in order to succeed, we're confident we'll be able to do that.
"The benefit of him joining the group we have, we will have a player who can play as much as he can, but we will do so sensibly.
"His priority will be at LAFC but we're not naïve - he has a World Cup on the horizon and how we manage his preparation ahead of the World Cup will be important to Gareth and the success of LA, but we want him peaking after the game with the US! The exact preparation he needs will be the same for us as it is for the World Cup, which I know for Wales is an historic one."
Bale is in line to make his Los Angeles debut when they face city rivals LA Galaxy on Saturday, July 9.
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