Report: Real Madrid will pay half of Gareth Bale's wages to assist exit from club

Real Madrid may be willing to spend money to allow Gareth Bale to play elsewhere during the 2020-21 season.

The Telegraph's Mike McGrath reported on Wednesday that Real could pay up to 50% of Bale's massive wages over the final two years of his contract to aid his return to the Premier League. The 31-year-old left Tottenham Hotspur for Real in the summer of 2013 and went on to hoist the Champions League Trophy four times with Los Blancos.

However, Bale publicly fell out of favor with coach Zinedine Zidane, who left the Welsh wonder out of his team for a Champions League clash with Manchester City in August. Zidane later told reporters that Bale "preferred not to play" in that situation.

"I want to play football," Bale explained while speaking with Sky Sports last week. "I am still motivated to play football, so I guess it's on the club. They are in control of everything. I have a contract, all I can do is carry on what I am doing and hopefully something comes up."

Back in August, ESPN reported Real were keen on jettisoning Bale so the club could conduct additional business ahead of the close of the summer transfer window on Oct. 5. Outlets such as the Manchester Evening News and TalkSport have repeatedly linked Bale with a return to Tottenham and also a move to Manchester United.

It remains possible Major League Soccer could pursue Bale's signature if Real are serious about covering some of the cost of such a transaction.