It is no secret Gareth Bale was well on his way to China during the summer transfer window. While they were participating in the International Champions Cup, Zidane all but confirmed he would be leaving but after an unexpected turn of events, the Welshman ended up staying.
The former Tottenham superstar was on the brink of transferring to Far-East Asia on a free transfer, the only way around his exuberant wages. Jiangsu Suning were the favorites to land the 30-year-old, with their manager Cosmin Olaroiu now revealing how close they came to his signature.
The Romanian manager did an interview with The National, revealing the details behind that failed move to the Dubai newspaper. The 50-year-old gaffer confessed that the deal was “90% done” only for the transfer to collapse the following morning.
The reason for why everything fell apart: Los Blancos asked for a transfer fee. With Bale earning $16M per year and the 100 percent levy Suning would have to pay for any fee over $6.4M, the club were unable to finance this move.
“It was very close," Olaroiu told The National (via the Daily Mail).
“The club agreed with his agent, his agent was there. We agreed with Madrid and in the last month... I don't know what happened there, they lose some friendly games by a big score - Madrid changed their mind.
“First they said they would release him and we would have to pay his salary, then suddenly they said: ‘No, you have to pay for the transfer’.
“And paying the transfer and his salary was a little bit over the budget and so we looked for another player.
“But, actually, I know that it was done 90 per cent in the evening, and then in the morning everything changed. But Real Madrid, not us.”
Bale ended up staying at the Bernabeu but things haven’t fared well for the Welshman. He remains an unpopular figure among the fans but despite this, his agent remains adamant that he will stay put in the Spanish capital.
