Gareth Bale 'Not Thinking About a Return to England' This Summer, Says Agent

Jonathan Barnett, the agent of Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale, has said the player is not thinking about coming back to the Premier League this summer. 

The campaign has been a struggle for Bale, and the arrival of Zinedine Zidane as manager for a second spell at the Santiago Bernabeu has cast fresh doubts over the Welshman's long-term future at the club.

However, Barnett has said his client is happy with life in the Spanish capital despite a turbulent recent time, per Alex Smith of the Daily Mirror.

"He is very happy here," he said. "He is a player and right now he is not thinking about a return to England. I can't predict the future. But for now he is happy."

Last month, Barnett said Bale wanted to finish his career at Real Madrid, although added "if it does not work out, we will talk again," per BBC Sport. "He will talk with Mr Zidane, take it from there and then see at the end of the season," continued the agent.

When Zidane was asked about Bale's future recently, he was non-committal, per Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC:

Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague noted the Welshman has failed to seize his chance to be Madrid's main man following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo last summer, per Eleven Sports:

It's expected to be a busy summer at Real Madrid following a disappointing campaign. The fact Zidane has agreed to rejoin the club for a second spell indicates promises have been made in regards to big names arriving, with Eden Hazard and Paul Pogba said to be top targets, per Juan Ignacio Garcia-Ochoa of Marca.

If players of that pedigree were to arrive, it would surely only add to the uncertainty surrounding Bale's future. In the wide positions, Zidane also has the likes of Lucas Vazquez, Marco Asensio and Vinicius Jr. to call upon.

Per Simon Stone of BBC Sport, offloading the Welshman may not be a straightforward task for Los Blancos:

While Bale has regularly been jeered by the Madrid fanbase, he has been a pivotal figure in numerous huge games for the team. He produced this in the UEFA Champions League final win over Liverpool last season (UK only):

For Bale, it feels like a pivotal summer. A year on from his heroics in the triumph over the Reds, he's been unable to capture consistent form or fitness; it feels increasingly like he would benefit from a fresh start elsewhere.

It appears Bale is still happy in Madrid and he remains a useful player to call upon, as he can still be devastating at full tilt. From a purely footballing sense, some new surroundings and fresh challenges would surely be to his benefit in 2019-20, though.