Spanish football expert Guillem Balague has claimed that Gareth Bale is against the idea of leaving Real Madrid for Chelsea.
The Blues are believed to have been exploring the option of a possible swap deal involving the former Tottenham Hotspur forward and Eden Hazard, who looks likely to be on his way to the Bernabeu this summer.
Balague has confirmed that Chelsea will attempt to bring in Bale as a like-for-like replacement for Hazard, but the Wales international would rather stay in the Spanish capital.
Manchester United is another possible destination for Bale, though his valuation could prove troublesome in any negotiations.
"To get the best out of Bale, [Zinedine] Zidane is going to have to put an arm around his shoulder. But the first option will be to try and sell him," Balague is quoted as saying by The Express. "But it won't be easy because he earns about €12m euros net and Real Madrid will probably want around €75m euros to sell.
"He's going to be 30 in July, so Manchester United may think twice about putting that kind of money in the direction of Real Madrid and Bale. If Chelsea had the possibility of signing Bale it would be a swap with Hazard and I expect all that to appear in the equation.
"But I feel Bale doesn't want to leave. Bale would like to stay at Real Madrid. But he will also have to show that he is in love with the game again enough to improve and challenge himself and get to the level we know he can be."
Bale was on the scoresheet as Real beat Celta Vigo 2-0 on Saturday afternoon in Zidane's first game back in charge.
Daniel Lewis
