Gareth Bale and his family were not the reason why a transfer to China failed to materialise, says agent Jonathan Barnett
Tuesday 30 July 2019 11:36, UK
Gareth Bale has not been included in Real Madrid's squad for their upcoming pre-season trip to Germany.
The Spanish giants said on their website on Monday that Bale had not trained outside with the main group, working inside instead with injured team-mate Luka Jovic.
Real later announced their Munich-bound squad and Bale's name was missing from the 24-player list.
The Wales international had been poised to join Chinese club Jiangsu Suning on a deal worth a reported £1m-a-week, but that move fell through over the weekend.
Jiangsu Suning signed Ivan Santini from Anderlecht on Monday, all but ending the possibility of Bale joining the club, with the Croatian striker taking up the foreign player spot previously held back for the Real forward.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett said: "Any stories suggesting that Gareth or his family were the reason the deal did not take place are completely false."
Marca reported on Sunday that Bale's family blocked the move to China, telling his representatives to look to join other clubs in Europe.
Other reports suggest Real president Florentino Perez changed his mind at the last minute, before telling Jiangsu Suning they could not have Bale for free.
The Real winger, who has won the Champions League four times with the Spanish giants, has been told he can leave this summer after falling out of favour under Zinedine Zidane.
Bale's agent Barnett previously called Zidane a "disgrace" and questioned how he could show such little respect for a player "that has done so much for Real Madrid", after the Frenchman said the forward was close to a move away from the Bernabeu.
Real will play Bale's former club Tottenham at the Audi Cup on Tuesday, with hosts Bayern Munich and Turkish side Fenerbahce also involved in the four-team tournament, which concludes with a third-place play-off and final on Wednesday.
