According to the BBC, Nottingham Forest could bring Gareth Bale back to the Premier League this summer.
What’s the story?
Well, the BBC believe Steve Cooper is keeping a close eye on the Wales international, who is now a free agent after his trophy-laden spell at Real Madrid came to an end.
Fabio Paratici – Director of Football at Tottenham – is also monitoring Bale.
The 32-year-old was potentially going to retire if Wales didn’t qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, but after they defeated Ukraine in the play-offs, he is now expected to join a new side on a short-term contract.
Cardiff City have been mentioned as a possible destination, although talk of Nottingham Forest showing an interest is fresh – what a move it would be for the Championship play-off final winners.
It comes after Nottingham Forest also opened talks with Manchester United over the signing of Dean Henderson, so Cooper certainly cannot be accused of showing a lack of ambition this summer.
Bale only made seven appearances in all competitions last season, although he proved he can still be a threat in the Premier League by scoring 16 goals for Tottenham in the campaign prior to that one.
Gareth Bale at Nottingham Forest would be special
In our view, this would be the most entertaining deal of the summer.
Bale – who Real Madrid paid £85.3m for back in 2013 – has won the Champions League on five occasions, and is one of the most decorated players in the history of football.
He showed he can still have an impact on the big occasion during the World Cup play-off campaign, in which he scored a phenomenal freekick against Austria in the semi-final, and then a deflected freekick in the final against Ukraine.
As long as he stays fit, Bale is probably still good enough to keep Nottingham Forest in the Premier League almost singlehandedly.
Of course, wages may be an issue – he was earning £528,000-a-week in his final year at Real Madrid.
However, we presume he won’t be interested in earning anything near that sum – it seems his main focus is to maintain match fitness ahead of the World Cup.
Whatever happens, it’s a very exciting time to support Nottingham Forest, to say the least.
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