Real Madrid have reportedly started the process of renewing the contract of Gareth Bale, with talks with his representative taking place.
Marca says the negotiation is expected to be a ‘complex’ one, as it is for every player on Bale’s level, but there’s no expectation that it will end in anything other than a new deal for the Wales international.
If all goes to plan then Bale could sign a new contract at Santiago Bernabeu by the summer.
Bale’s current deal runs until 2019 and Madrid want to reward what they believe is a strong commitment to the club and formalise Bale’s position as the heir apparent to Cristiano Ronaldo in the team’s hierarchy.
A new contract would also put an end to Manchester United’s hopes of bringing Bale back to the Premier League and Marca say that while Bale might have been interested in Old Trafford in the past, that’s no longer the case.
Bale is said to feel closer to his Madrid teammates than before and doesn’t feel there’s a club he could join that would be a step up from Los Blancos.
The proposed new contract would run until 2021 and he would become the club’s second-highest paid player, surpassing Sergio Ramos and trailing only Ronaldo.
The report comes the same day details of the transfer that took Bale from Tottenham Hotspur to Madrid in 2013 were leaked online.
