Barcelona: Gareth Bale’s future is once again in doubt. The Welsh winger traveled to London with the permission of Real Madrid to see his agent this week, reigniting speculation about a possible departure after coach Zinedine Zidane said in July it would best for the player and the club to part ways.
Zidane has since backtracked and said Bale is an important player for him, but the damage was done to the public image of their relationship.
Bale was in the British capital on Tuesday and Spanish television broadcaster Cuatro filmed him arriving to see his agent, Jonathan Barnett. Barnett told Cuatro that their meeting was “private.”
When asked if Bale was happy at Madrid, Barnett said: “Ecstatic.”
Bale did not answer questions from journalists at the airport.
Bale has missed three matches with a left calf injury he picked up in a European Championship qualifier with Wales more than two weeks ago. Zidane did not include Bale in his lineup for Wednesday’s 5-0 win over Leganes.
Zidane also dropped the Welshman him from his squad for two matches before he was injured. Otherwise, he has scored two goals - both in a 2-2 draw with Villarreal - in seven appearances this season.
“A lot of things are said and we think that Bale is a player who is here, who puts in a lot of effort and trains well,” Zidane said Tuesday. “He’s important for this squad and for the club. When he’s not available, he’s not available because he’s got something and that’s it.”
