Gareth Bale's Real Madrid future 'increasingly secure'

Gareth Bale's future at Real Madrid is reportedly becoming increasingly secure after being given assurances by new boss Julen Lopetegui.

The 28-year-old dropped a huge hint after May's Champions League final win over Liverpool that he wanted to move on this summer, having found himself as a backup option under Zinedine Zidane.

Zidane's surprise departure a week on from Bale's goalscoring brace in Kiev has led to a rethink, though, and Spanish outlet AS claims that Bale is looking more and more likely to stay on at the Bernabeu for at least another year.

Madrid are also keen to keep the Wales international in place, as star forward Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Juventus is likely to be sanctioned before the end of the week.

The same report indicates that talks are planned between Lopetegui and Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett, with Los Blancos' players due back for pre-season training next Monday.