The complicated saga surrounding Bale and Real Madrid

A new report from MARCA is working under the assumption that Tottenham will not try and keep Gareth Bale past his loan deal this season.

This would mean that Bale will return to Real Madrid during the summer window and the club will once again have to figure out what they want to do with him. He will still have a year left on his current contract and MARCA says he is expecting the full €34 million salary that is owed to him.

MARCA also brings up the issue Brexit will have on Bale’s international status. Starting from this winter window, British players who are signed by Spanish clubs count towards the three non-EU player limit set by La Liga. He would be competing with Vinicius, Rodrygo, Kubo, Eder Militão and Reinier for the three non-EU player limit.

According to a past report from AS, however, Bale would still occupy EU player status unless he extends his current contract with Real Madrid past 2022. If this holds true, then the club only has to worry about figuring out where Bale fits within the lineup or if he is moving elsewhere again.

This also complicates the situation if Real are truly in hot pursuit of Kylian Mbappe this summer. Bale occupies a lot of financial capital upon his return and plays in a similar position. Mbappe could choose to continue at PSG after already extending Neymar through 2026, but that situation is even still unclear.

MARCA says that Bale was the only Real Madrid player to reject a 10 percent pay cut during the pandemic wage cuts. So it appears that there will be no easy way out for the club when it comes to honoring Bale’s contract.

For now, Bale remains a Tottenham player at least through the end of the season where he has his own current problems. But, it will get a whole lot more interesting closer to the summer when that loan deal comes to a close and the next course of action must be taken.