Brazil icon Rivaldo tips Newcastle United to sign Real Madrid man in summer

Brazil icon Rivaldo fancies Newcastle to make a move to sign Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale on a free transfer this summer.

Bale, 32, will bring the curtain down on a tumultuous nine years in Spain after arriving from Spurs in 2013 for €100.8m. He has endured a topsy-turvy time with Los Blancos. He has helped them win LaLiga and the Champions League, but has also found himself ostracised for long spells.

The Wales star will be out of contract in June and is available on a free transfer.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed Bale’s contract will not be renewed.

“His contract is about to end and it could be that he didn’t have much motivation in recent times,” said Ancelotti earlier this week.

“Now he’s feeling good. And he wants to end his time here as he deserves, because Bale has brought many titles to this club.

“He helped the club to win the Champions League and Copa Del Rey titles. So I think that ending his time here on a high would be good for his career.

“I speak with him just like I try and speak with everyone else. Trying to get the best out of them, listen to their problems, and that’s it.

“The personal relationship with him and the other players is good, I can’t blame him for anything.

“As long as a player is serious, professional and respects the rules and the people he works with, our personal relationship will be good.

“He’s always done that and never failed. Then, Gareth has had injuries which didn’t allow him [to play].”

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Tottenham have been linked with another move for Bale. According to El Nacional an agreement is in place, and has been for a few months, for Bale to return to Tottenham.

Tuttomercatoweb also claimed Bale had penned a “pre-contract agreement” which would come into effect in the summer.

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‘Bale can still play for some time’

But that appears to be wide of the mark, with football.london’s Alastair Gold saying sources have relayed that “there’s no truth in it”.

However, one destination he could end up at is Newcastle, according to former Barcelona star Rivaldo.

Speaking on behalf of Betfair, via The Sun, Rivaldo said: “I think he [Bale] could even stay in Spain if a good offer arrives from a club with European ambitions.

“But the most likely scenario should be a return to England to a league he knows well. But that is also more demanding than any other.

“I definitely wouldn’t rule out a move to Newcastle. As I think there is a chance they might convince him to return to the highest level as one of the stars of the team next season, in what will presumably become a very interesting squad.

“At 32 years-old he can still play for some time if he wishes to follow the steps of others like Cristiano Ronaldo, Thiago Silva or even myself.”

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