Real Madrid Transfer News: Gareth Bale Latest, Mateo Kovacic Exit Rumours

Gareth Bale has been backed to remain at Real Madrid by manager Zinedine Zidane despite being booed by the club's fans in Sunday's 2-2 draw against Valencia. Elsewhere, Mateo Kovacic is said to be interested in a move to Liverpool.

Los Blancos had to rely on two goals from emerging star Marco Asensio to steal a point at home to Los Che, against whom Bale was disappointing. However, Zidane suggested the winger is going nowhere after the match, per MailOnline's Ben Nagle:

"He's a key player in the squad. Gareth is Gareth. We keep working hard and we rely on Gareth, just as is the case with the other players.

"Gareth's situation is good. He had scoring opportunities but did not convert them. We're going to keep working on this.

"I can't criticise my players, quite the contrary. I'm very happy with their work."

Boos emanated from sections of the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu as Asensio overshadowed his team-mate, but Spanish football expert Guillem Balague echoed Zidane's defence of the player:

As noted by Nagle and Balague, Manchester United have been associated as the most common of Bale's admirers, who would be keen to bring the former Tottenham Hotspur ace back to the Premier League.

While some might have interpreted Zidane's comments as a diversion to avoid any uncomfortable talk relating to his players, ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan praised his man-management:

Asensio's meteoric rise to Madrid stardom has given Real another elite wing weapon, but Bale still appears to hold value in Spain's capital four years after he joined from Spurs.

Meanwhile, Diario Gol (h/t Jack Otway of the Daily Express) reported Kovacic is open to joining Liverpool if Philippe Coutinho leaves the club, having been linked with a move to Barcelona this summer.

The Reds are said to be willing to double Kovacic's salary if he moves to Anfield, although Yahoo's Andrew Gaffney pointed to evidence suggesting the transfer won't be a cheap one earlier in August:

The Croatia international moved to the Bernabeu from Inter Milan in June 2015 but has struggled to build any kind of momentum as a first-team member under Zidane, making only 36 starts in two seasons across all competitions.

Liverpool might be frustrated in their pursuit of the player as any Coutinho successor, however, after Balague elaborated on Real's stance in a recent Sky Sports Q&A session:

Catalan newspaper Sport (h/t the Daily Star's Colin Harvey) noted that Barcelona have agreed to a deal totalling £148 million to sign Coutinho from Liverpool, with the Reds having already rejected several bids so far this summer.

The odds of Liverpool spending big on another midfielder seem low, though, after BBC Sport reported on Monday that the Reds have agreed to sign RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita next summer.