Gareth Bale is set to sign a new contract with Real Madrid which will include a massive pay hike to place him on par with the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Welshman is currently earning around £300,00-a-week in a contract that expires in 2018 but the club are adamant to tie him down to a contract that sees him play at the Santiago Bernabeu for the foreseeable future. The club view him as the natural successor to Cristiano Ronaldo – who at 31 – is now entering the final stage of his playing career.
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Reports, however, state that the one small detail delaying the signing and the announcement is the value of the release clause in his contract. The value is said to be around the €500 million – or £427 million – and this won't be the first time a release clause this high is mentioned within the walls the club.
Last year, when asked about the value of Cristiano Ronaldo's release clause, club President Florentino Perez told Cadena Cope radio station, “In the case of Cristiano, it’s (release clause) €1,000m,” a ridiculous fee but not uncommon in Spain.
There has been a lot of back and forth between Bale's camp and the club regarding the release clause given how interested Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are in signing the Welshman. He's been linked with them since joining Real Madrid; their interest in the Welshman is a situation the 27-year-old's camp do not want to completely alienate should complications arise in Madrid.
Bale signed for Real Madrid in 2013 from English Premier League side Tottenham for a then-world record €100 million fee. And has since gone on to achieve great things with the club winning the UEFA Champions League twice, the Copa Del Rey, the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.
