Real Madrid will be willing to let Gareth Bale leave on a free in the current transfer window, says Ramon Calderon, with the former Blancos president claiming that an offer of €100 million (£89m/$118m) from a Premier League club was turned down in 2019.
Speculation regarding his future is nothing new for Bale.
The Wales international, who became the most expensive player on the planet when sealing a move to Spain from Tottenham in 2013, has seen questions asked of his ongoing presence at Santiago Bernabeu on a regular basis.
He finds himself firmly frozen out at present, with Zinedine Zidane having taken to dropping him down the pecking order once again.
Calderon believes that will lead to a move finally being made by Bale before the next deadline passes, with Real accepting that they need to sever ties with the 31-year-old just 12 months after snubbing a big-money bid from England.
“I know in the last day of the transfer window last year there was an offer from the Premier League,” Calderon told talkSPORT.
“They offered €100m, and Real Madrid turned down that offer because they thought Bale would be a player in their side.
“He came in 2013 with a contract for six years, and the strange thing is in 2016 – with Zidane at the helm – the club extended his contract until 2022.
“I don’t know why, but at the end of 2018 when he played well in the Champions League final [against Liverpool], Zidane told the president to keep Cristiano Ronaldo and sell Bale.
“The president did the opposite, and Zidane left, and from that moment there has been a disagreement between Zidane and the player.
“And in some way I think fans are angry and annoyed because they’ve seen Bale not interested in some matches, and now they have to find a solution.
Quizzed as to the identity of the club that pushed for Bale, Calderon added: “I’m not allowed to say the name – though I know the name of the club – and I think at the end there was a disagreement as Real Madrid decided not to sell the player, because they thought he was a player who could be used and be in the starting line-up.
“But I think the player neither wants to leave nor to reduce his salary; it is true his salary is very high, but in 2016 the club decided to increase his salary.
“It is difficult for any club to pay that salary, especially knowing the situation of football nowadays.”
Having reportedly passed up the chance to bring in a nine-figure sum for Bale, Calderon feels that Real would now be willing to let Bale walk away for nothing.
He said of a player who has seen moves to England, China and America mooted: “I think his agent was here yesterday [Wednesday] trying to get a deal, but I don’t see any club paying that salary.
“And, on top of that, if Real Madrid want to get a transfer fee… that’s impossible.
“I think Real Madrid would now be willing to let him go without any transfer fee – that would be the solution – but in that case I don’t see any club paying €40m-a-year for a player who is 31 and who hasn’t been playing regularly in the last two years.”