Chris Coleman says he does not blame Gareth Bale for eyeing a move to Real Madrid, although he hopes he will still turn out for Wales.
The Welsh national team boss named Bale in his 23-man squad for the friendly with the Republic of Ireland next Wednesday, while in the meantime it is understood the Spurs midfielder has set his heart on a move from White Hart Lane to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Even so, despite the Spanish giants having tabled a reported €105m offer for the player, Coleman feels it should not weight heavily upon his young shoulders.
“‘I am sure, with what is going on in terms of the transfer, there is a lot on Gareth’s mind and Tottenham’s mind,” Coleman told a Press conference.
“He is a quality player, whether he is in the Premier League or anywhere else. He is 24 and is only going to get better.
“The money we are talking about is incredible, but that is not Gareth’s fault. If clubs are willing to pay huge transfer fees and huge salaries it is up to the clubs. It is not the player’s fault.”
Bale is currently sidelined with a muscle injury that has forced him to miss most of Spurs’ pre-season games, but Coleman insists it does not mean he will pull out of next week’s international in Cardiff.
“When you play football like Gareth, who is dynamic, very powerful and unbelievably quick, you are going to pick up niggles. If it was serious we would have known before now.”
