Report: Gareth Bale Close to Jiangsu Suning Transfer from Real Madrid

Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale is reportedly close to signing for Jiangsu Suning on a three-year deal.

According to Panos Kostopoulos of Marca, the Wales international is poised to sign a contract that'll see him earn an annual salary of €22 million with the Chinese Super League team and "only small details remain for the deal to be finalised." 

AS reported that while Bale has agreed personal terms with Jiangsu, however, as of yet the Chinese outfit have not reached a deal with Real Madrid regarding a fee for the player.

They add that Bale was initially offered a yearly wage of €17 million, the amount he is currently earning at the Santiago Bernabeu, before eventually increasing their package.

Kristof Terreur of Het Laatste Nieuws said he isn't surprised to see Bale on the brink of a move away from European football:

Bale's days at Real Madrid appear to be numbered and speculation regarding a possible transfer has intensified in the last week.

Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane has spoken candidly about the 30-year-old moving on. The Madrid manager said after a 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich in pre-season that "we hope he leaves soon" and then accused Bale of refusing to play in the fixture.

Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett called Zidane a "disgrace" for his initial comments and said the manager "shows no respect for a player that has done so much for Real Madrid."

Per Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC, even after Marco Asensio suffered a serious injury in pre-season, Zidane stood by his opinion on the former Tottenham Hotspur star:

Bale has been part of a hugely successful era for the La Liga side and his record for Los Blancos compares favourably with that of his current manager:

In Zidane's first spell in charge of Real, he gradually started to phase Bale out of his preferred XI. Nevertheless, in the final game of Zidane's first stint, the Welshman was on target twice to help Madrid win the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League final 3-1 against Liverpool.

The first goal he scored in that fixture is one of the greatest netted in the competition:

Jiangsu Suning have spent big money on players in the past and on Friday they completed the signing of Brazil international defender Miranda. They also secured the high-profile acquisition of Alex Texeira from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2016.

Bale would represent a major coup for them, as he remains a huge name in world football. At this juncture, you sense the player and all those associated with Real Madrid will be keen to part company as soon as possible.