Wrexham's owner Rob McElhenney has teased transfer interest in Wales captain Gareth Bale, who is on the lookout for a new club after helping his national team book a spot at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Bale, as ever, played a crucial part in helping Wales to secure their place at the World Cup for the first time in 64 years. It was his free-kick which was deflected into the Ukraine goal by Andriy Yarmalenko and, of course, it was his two goals against Austria which helped make the play-off final possible in the first place.
The 32-year-old will want to keep fit for the intervening six months before the World Cup kicks off in November, of course, but with his Real Madrid contract expiring at the end of June, he is currently on the lookout for a new club.
Read more: Gareth Bale next club odds as Cardiff City fancied
Trying to get a definitive answer on where he will head, though, is going about as well as the hunt for Lord Lucan, as things stand. However, the rumours of him joining his hometown club, Cardiff City, simply refuse to go away. His former clubs Tottenham and Southampton are also in the mix, too, while Swansea City have recently popped up in the bookmakers' odds lists out of nowhere in recent days.
Bale's agent has confirmed that his next move is likely to be a return to English football, while he also confirmed to WalesOnline that the transfer will not be motivated by money.
The player himself has joked that he has "loads of offers" on the table and confirmed after the game on Sunday that his retirement plans are currently on the backburner. So where, exactly, will he go ahead of next season? Well, if Wrexham boss Rob McElhenney gets his way, it will be the Racecourse Ground.
Replying to a tweet by ESPN which asked "where will we see Gareth Bale next season?" McElhenney said: "I've got a few ideas".
The National League side missed out on promotion back into the English Football League this season, losing their play-off tie against Grimsby Town, who themselves secured their return to the fourth tier with their triumph over Solihull Moors on Sunday. However, Wrexham have grand designs to have a good go at promotion again next season.
Whether those promotion plans stretch as far as signing Wales' greatest-ever footballer remain to be seen, even if they appear ever-so-slightly far-fetched. But you can't blame McElhenney for chucking Wrexham's hat in the ring, so to speak.
The north Wales club is owned by McElhenney and fellow Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds, with the duo having taken control of the club in February last year.
- Get your Wales World Cup 48-page souvenir special on Saturday, June 11. Order your copy via the online shop here.
After the win over Ukraine, Bale remained tight-lipped over future plans, but said of the result: "It's the greatest result in the history of Welsh football. We are all ecstatic. The fans together, it was a delight, and we are going to a World Cup!
"It means everything. It's what dreams are made of. It's what we've been working for since we first came here. I'm so happy for all our amazing fans and our country. Words can't describe how we're feeling at the moment.
"It was difficult. I haven't done too much over the last four weeks because of my back spasm, which everyone knows about. Contributing in whatever way I could, but the most important thing was to get through it and get through to the World Cup. I gave my all on the pitch and I was running a bit on empty, it's always good to have players come off the bench and do a job."
