A deal to take Gareth Bale to China was “90 per cent” done during the summer of 2019, claims Cosmin Olaroiu, the coach of CSL side Jiangsu Suning, with the proposed move collapsing once Real Madrid demanded a fee.
The ambitious Asian outfit believed that the door had been opened for them to take the Wales international as a free agent.
With Bale out of favour under Zinedine Zidane and continuing to face criticism over his form and fitness in Spain, a new challenge was sought by a man presented with a lucrative contract by Jiangsu.