Real Madrid Transfer News: Gareth Bale 'Isolated,' Latest Iker Casillas Rumours

Gareth Bale is reportedly becoming isolated in the Real Madrid dressing room because of his inability to claim a full grasp of the Spanish language.

Although he moved to the Bernabeu from Tottenham Hotspur almost two years ago, Bale apparently is not confident with Spanish, the predominant language in the Real dressing room, per the Daily Mail's Neil Ashton.

Ashton suggests that the £85 million man's inability to communicate properly with his team-mates and coaching staff is "one of the reasons behind the frustration in the dressing room with the forward."

Bale has come under heavy criticism this season, most recently following a poor performance in Real's Champions League semi-final first leg against Juventus, which Los Blancos lost 2-1, per BBC Sport:

Though Bale has scored 13 league goals and assisted a further nine this season, per WhoScored.com, he has been very inconsistent.

There have been numerous reports linking him with a move away from the Bernabeu in the summer, such as to Chelsea, per Jamie Sanderson in Metro.

In the wake of Bale's performance against Juve, the Welshman's agent, Jonathan Barnett, did little to quash rumours that his client is unsettled at Real, putting the blame at the feet of the other Real players for not passing to him enough, per Ashton:

"

We’ve been vindicated by these statistics and it’s what we’ve been saying all along. It proves that people don’t know what they’re talking about when they criticise Gareth. Real have to work with Gareth and pass the ball to him more. Give him more of the ball and let him show everybody what he’s good at.

He’s going to be the best player at Real Madrid when his team-mates work with him and help him. Hopefully Real will come to terms with this. I’m very upset that professional pundits don’t realise these facts. They should look at it more closely because it’s plain to see when you watch the games.

"

Bale is one of world football's most devastating attackers when in full flow, but he has struggled this term and is clearly not completely happy at Real.

Whether that means he will depart the club remains to be seen. Bleacher Report's Guillem Balague believes he will be staying put:

However, it cannot be good for the player or the club if he is unhappy and unable to understand instructions because of the language barrier.

Casillas Set to Stay

Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Real skipper Iker Casillas, another player who has felt the ire of Madrid fans of late, is determined to stay on at the Bernabeu past the summer.

The Spaniard has been the subject of boos and whistles from the Real fans for much of the season, as was again the case during the club's 2-2 draw with Valencia on Saturday, per AS:

However, despite enduring a difficult season and Real's reported pursuit of Manchester United's David De Gea, Marca's Jose Felix Diaz reports that Casillas is determined to stay at the club. 

As Diaz notes, the 33-year-old Casillas still seems to have the support of boss Carlo Ancelotti, and he also has received the backing of Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal, per Marca:

"

[Casillas] wasn't at all to blame for the Valencia goals. This crowd give you everything, but they're also very tough. The likes of Cristiano and Zidane have also been whistled at here, alongside Iker...players who have done a lot for this club. As a rule, I would never boo anyone, but I can only understand booing someone who doesn't try or doesn't care. When someone does their utmost, you can't ask any more than that.

"

It has been a difficult season for Casillas, stretching back to some bad performances in Spain's poor World Cup performance in Brazil last summer.

However, it could still end in triumph if Real reach the final of the Champions League and win a second consecutive European title.

Casillas has spent his entire career at Madrid, and it is unsurprising that he wishes to remain at the club. But it seems unlikely he will remain as the No. 1 choice between the posts past the summer.