Gareth Bale set to stay at Real Madrid

Chinese club Jiangsu Suning had an agreement to sign the player from Madrid earlier in the summer before Los Blancos pulled the plug on a deal, as they would not receive a transfer fee.

The Welsh wizard celebrated his 30th birthday last month and is said not to be part of Zinedine Zidane’s plans at the Bernabeu, while the Madrid fans have turned on him.

Bale has three years remaining on his Madrid contract and his hefty wage bill means that he has no strong desire to exit the club this summer despite the wishes of the hierarchy in the Spanish capital.

The former Southampton and Spurs winger scored 14 goals with six assists in 42 competitive games last season.

Bale has been linked with an exit from Madrid for months with England and China rumoured to be two possible destinations, but both have now closed for the summer.