Gareth Bale is close to completing a move to a Chinese club Jiangsu Suning that will see the Welshman earn close to £1m per week, according to reports.
Bale has been a linked with a move to China since last weekend and following Zinedine Zidane’s strongly worded comments regarding his future at Real Madrid. The Frenchman said the Spanish club were “working on his exit” and expected a deal with an unnamed club to be “imminent”. That now appears to be the case with Bale said to be nearing agreement on personal terms with Jiangsu.
The club currently sit sixth in the Chinese Super League and are managed by the Romanian Cosmin Olaroiu. Their squad contains the former Internazionale and Atlético Madrid defender Miranda, who joined on a free transfer this week, and one-time Liverpool target Alex Teixeira.
Bale was keen to stay at Real having joined the club six years ago for a then world record £85.3m fee and with three years left on his current deal at the Bernabéu but Zidane has been at the forefront of a sustained and very public campaign to move him out of the club and led to the 30-year-old’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, brandishing Real’s coach a “disgrace”.
Bale’s time at Real has been a hugely successful one. He played an important role in the Spanish giants winning four Champions Leagues, one La Liga, a Copa del Rey, three Uefa Super Cups and three Club World Cups. He has suffered injury problems, however, limiting him to 79 La Liga starts in the past four years.
Juventus are preparing an offer for Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku and willing to include Paulo Dybala as part of the deal, Sky Sports Newsunderstands.
Until now, United have been negotiating with Inter Milan for the 26-year-old Belgium international but the clubs remain far apart in their valuation of Lukaku.
The Serie A side made a bid of £53.9m upfront for Lukaku with no add-ons earlier this week which was rejected by United.
It is understood the Premier League club would want in excess of the £79m they paid to sign Lukaku from Everton in 2016 if they are to allow the 26-year-old to leave Old Trafford.
New Inter manager Antonio Conte confirmed his desire to sign Lukaku last Friday, saying: “You know very well that I like this player, also in the past when I was Chelsea’s coach and I tried to bring him.
Antonio Conte says Romelu Lukaku is an important player for Inter Milan to sign.
“But I repeat today Lukaku is a player of United. I have great respect for United.”
However, Inter are now facing serious competition from Italian rivals Juventus.
Juve are prepared to offer Paulo Dybala as part of the deal, with the Argentine striker struggling since the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo last summer, reports Guardian sport
However, it is unclear if Dybala – also linked with a move to Tottenham – would agree to being a makeweight in any deal.
Dybala said in May that he wants to stay at Juventus just a week after his brother, who is also his agent, claimed he would be leaving the clubbecause he is “no longer at ease”.
If a swap deal cannot be agreed and Lukaku departs for a transfer fee this summer, Sky Sports News understands Moussa Dembele, the Lyon and France U21 striker, will be on United’s shortlist to replace the Belgian.
Dybala ‘marginalised’ at Juve
In June, Italian football expert Adam Digby told Sky Sports News that Dybala is likely to be forced out of Juventus this summer after being marginalised since the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I think Dybala will be the one player who is forced to move on,” said Digby.
“I think the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo forced Juventus to play a front three for the most of last season and the only position available to Dybala in that system is wide on the right – that doesn’t suit him.
“He is much more comfortable down the middle behind a conventional No 9. And he has really struggled to adapt to that this season.
“It’s been his poorest season since he arrived at Juventus in 2015. He only scored three goals in the league and he really is the player that has been marginalised by Ronaldo’s presence.
“I can fully see him moving on this summer in search of somewhere he can play his more natural role.”
