Gareth Bale 'wants Premier League return' with Real Madrid career looking doomed

La Liga Santander - Valencia v Real Madrid - Mestalla, Valencia, Spain - December 15, 2019 Real Madrid's Gareth Bale reacts REUTERS/Susana Vera/]

Gareth Bale is holding out for a return to the Premier League.

That's the verdict of Spanish football expert Alvaro Montero, who believes the Real Madrid outcast would be willing to leave the Bernabeu - but only for a move to the English top-flight.

Bale has become an increasingly peripheral figure at the Bernabeu and played no part in Real's final match at Leganes last month.

The 31-year-old last appeared for Real in a 2-0 home win against Real Mallorca in June.

He has appeared indifferent to the stand-off between himself and the club through his touchline antics, which included pretending to be asleep while on the bench for a recent game against Alaves.

It seems he has no future at Madrid, but Montero reckons his huge wages could prevent him from leaving the Spanish capital.

"We have to remember that, in the last nine games in La Liga, Zinedine Zidane only counted on Gareth Bale for one game," he told Sky Sports.

"One year ago, I was in Washington with Zidane, the day he said it's better for him [Bale] to go today, better than tomorrow.

"The truth is there was only one option - China [Jiangsu Suning made an offer for Bale last summer]. He didn't want to go to China.

"He wants to return to the Premier League, but he earns €70m [five-year contract] at Real Madrid.

"There's no club in the world, after a player that has been two seasons without playing more or less, who can pay for that. It's a lot of money.

"So, I think it's going to be a tricky situation but I am afraid he's going to stay at Real Madrid."

Bale, who is contracted until 2022, has won the Champions League four times since joining Real from Tottenham in an £85.3million deal seven years ago.