The agent of one of Real Madrid's stars has confirmed that the player will be leaving the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season.
Gareth Bale will depart from Madrid when his contract expires, according to his agent Jonathan Barnett.
The Welshman, who has made only two appearances in all competitions for Los Blancos since September, has come under fire from Spanish media for being a "parasite" at Real.
Bale is LaLiga's highest earner, reportedly raking in an astronomical £550 000 (R10.5 million) a week, and given his scarce appearances for the club of late, he has been accused of leeching off the Spanish giants, especially given his heroics for his national team during the 2022 FIFA World Cup play-off qualifiers last month.
In an interview with Spanish TV station Deportes Cuatro, Barnett confirmed his client's imminent exit from Real and blasted reports portraying the Wales legend poorly.
"Bale deserves a grand farewell from the club. And no, we have not yet decided on the future," the agent said.
"He speaks Spanish. What happens is that people who do not know him say that he does not. Stupid and ignorant people who have not spoken to him.
"It's a shame. He has always been very happy in Madrid, he arrived as a young man, his children were born in the city, he has donated a lot of money to Spanish hospitals for Covid and he loves the city and the club and I think the parasites are the ones who speak ill of him."
The winger started the 2021/22 LaLiga season rejuvenated after Real president Florentino Perez reinstated the man who brought Bale to Spain for a then-world-record fee of £85.3 million (R1.6 billion) in 2013, Carlo Ancelotti.
Bale would start the first three matches of the league campaign before a knee injury ruled him out of action for close to two months.
Consequently, the 32-year-old has fallen out of contention for the starting XI, much like Eden Hazard, Isco and Luka Jovic, and will now be looking for first-team opportunities elsewhere.
