Love of golf cited as Real Madrid opt to cash in on £89m Bale

Real Madrid will put Gareth Bale up for sale at £89million, according to reports in the Spanish media.

El Confidencial claims Real manager Zinedine Zidane and president Florentino Perez have jointly decided enough is enough with Bale, who is once again injured and missed Wales’ final 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

The paper claims Bale is in a ‘fight not to exhaust the diplomacy of Zidane and the patience of Florentino’ after the latest in a long line of injuries. It cites the 66 matches Bale has missed during his five seasons at the Bernabeu since the Welshman joined the club from Tottenham in the summer of 2013.

According to El Confidencial, manager Zidane ‘knows that he is a player with whom he can not count for a third of the season, at best’.

The same report cites golf as a major contributor to Bale’s injury problems, saying the sport – which apparently obsesses the Welshman – contributes to his back problems.

Gareth Bale gets golf's most iconic hole built in his back garden https://t.co/1jZpNTkx9u pic.twitter.com/TKHWgfkRlh

— TGI Golf Partnership (@TGI_Golf) October 4, 2017

Manchester United are mentioned as possible suitors – of that we know after Jose Mourinho admitted his interest over the summer – but don’t rule out AC Milan, with reports in the Italian media citing the big-spending Rossoneri as contenders for his signature.