Gareth Bale transfer saga leaves Real Madrid chiefs ‘disappointed’ with Zidane

Gareth Bale’s imminent Tottenham transfer has reportedly left Real Madrid chief Florentino Pérez disappointed with head coach Zinedine Zidane.

Bale is expected to complete his sensational Spurs return on Friday, ending his Bernabeu nightmare after being frozen out by Zidane.

The 31-year-old Wales star will cost Jose Mourinho’s side £20m in wages and a loan fee, with Madrid subsidising Bale’s salary in a bid to reduce the burden on their books.

Also switching from Madrid to Tottenham is £25m left-back Sergio Reguilon, who was similarly unfavoured by Zidane but impressed on loan at Sevilla last season.

Both players were also linked with potential transfers to Manchester United this summer.

And the head coach’s handling of the pair – but particularly Bale – has not gone down well with Pérez, according to AS.

The Spanish publication says the Madrid president feels Zidane could have handled Bale better after the £86m signing made it clear he was unhappy at the Bernabeu.

While Bale was never going to be the star of the Los Blancos team given the talent at their disposal throughout his time at the club, his attacking prowess is not in doubt.

He is blessed with speed, a fearsome left-footed shot and devastating heading ability – which Pérez will feel Zidane could have made more use of during Bale’s remaining time at the club.

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The president has reportedly also been unimpressed by Zidane’s treatment of Reguilon. The left-back is set to sign a five-year deal with Tottenham, with Madrid having insisted on a buy-back clause.

The clause appears to have been inserted at the insistence of Pérez rather than Zidane, who appears indifferent to the 23-year-old.

AS claims Reguilon will never be able to play at the Bernabeu while Zidane is in charge – a similar situation to Dani Ceballos, who was way down the pecking order at Madrid but impressed enough at Arsenal last season to earn a loan return to the Emirates this term.

However, despite the breakdown of relationships between Zidane and some of his players, he is not thought to under any serious pressure due to his impressive record as Madrid boss.

During his two spells in charge, the World-Cup winning former France star has led Los Blancos to three Champions League triumphs, two La Liga titles, the Club World Cup, two UEFA Super Cups and two Supercopa de España.