Open to playing in the Premier League again in the near future, reveals Gareth Bale

Few players have struggled to play football despite being fit over the last few years as much as Gareth Bale has with the 31-year-old out of favour at Real Madrid. The 31-year-old nearly left the Los Blancos last summer but his lucrative move to China was blocked by the club in the end with Florentino Perez also looking for a transfer fee. Since then, however, the Welsh international has made only 20 appearances for the club with only two of those coming after lockdown.

But with Real Madrid looking to thin their squad, Bale is on the list of outgoings despite his agent, Jonathan Barnett, admitting that the Welsh forward is going nowhere. Yet with the Los Blancos placing him on their outgoing list, Bale admitted that he would be open to a move back to England should Real Madrid let him leave. The 31-year-old also added that his future is in the club’s hand with them blocking his move to China last summer.

"If those options arise (interest from Premier League clubs) it is something I'd look at for sure. We'll see what happens, we have plenty of time in this transfer window and a couple of others as well. Time will tell but mainly I think the reason is that the decision is in Real Madrid's hands. I tried to leave last year but they blocked everything at the last second. It was a project I was excited for but it didn't materialise," Bale told Sky Sports.

"There have been other instances where we have tried to go but the club won't allow it or they've done something. It's down to the club. I want to play football, I am still motivated to play football, so I guess it's on the club. They are in control of everything. I have a contract, all I can do is carry on what I am doing and hopefully something comes up. I am only 31 still but I feel I am in great shape still and feel like I have a lot to give. We will see what happens. It's in the club's hands but they make things very difficult to be honest."

However, despite playing limited minutes for Real Madrid, Bale is still a key part of Wales’ squad for both the UEFA Nations League and the Euro 2020 barring any major injury. It has seen the 31-year-old called up to the squad and he admitted that it’s nice to feel a “little bit more appreciated and supported by your fans no matter what”. Bale also added that he’s fit and ready to help Wales prepare for the upcoming Euros.

"I think everyone knows how much I love coming away with Wales. It's nice to be back at a place where you are a little bit more appreciated and supported by your fans no matter what. We have two big games coming up. This is the start for us to prepare for the Euros next year. We're all focused. We haven't had much time to prepare for these games."

"I haven't been back in training yet, I have just come back off holiday. I have kept myself fit over the summer. We just need to prepare for next year's Euros. We have a lot of games leading into that and it starts on Thursday,” he added.