Real demands ruined Bale’s China move

Gareth Bale was apparently on the verge of completing a move to China last summer, but it all fell through at the last minute.

The Welshman is constantly being talked about in terms of leaving Santiago Bernabeu. Throughout the summer last year, a number of reports claimed the La Liga giants worked hard on sounding out potential buyers, but with the player unwilling to lower his wage demands, their efforts were fruitless.

The manager of Jiangsu Suning, Cosmin Olaroiu told The National his club had a deal fully agreed with Real about the transfer of Bale, as well as the personal terms with his representatives. It was apparently agreed that Real would let the 30-year-old go for free, while the Chinese club would take the responsibility of paying his wages in full.

However, Olaroiu says Real changed their minds at the last minute and suddenly demanded a transfer fee. That, in addition to the enormous wages, exceeded the budget of Jiangsu Suning and the deal was consequently abandoned.