Manchester United in advanced talks to sign Nicolas Pepe, Huge blow for Barcelona as Neymar set for PSG stay and more: Transfer Roundup, 21 July 2019

By Shambhu Ajith

Modified Jul 23, 2019 05:05 GMT

Gareth Bale row flares up as Zidane confirms exit

The Gareth Bale situation is becoming increasingly ugly. The latest episode is rather regrettable for both the club and the player. Zinedine Zidane told the press today that the club is working on Bale's departure and that the sooner it gets done, the better.

Zizou said,

"Bale was left out because the club are trying to sell him. If he can go tomorrow, it would be better.

"It's nothing personal, I don't have anything against Bale, but I have to make decisions. There comes a time when it's time to change and it's good for everyone to go their separate ways.

"Leaving is the decision of the coach, and also the player, who knows the situation."

Before long, Bale's agent hit back and said Zidane had no respect.

"If and when Gareth goes it will be because it is in the best interest of Gareth and nothing to do with Zidane pushing."

"He's still one of the best players in the world, one of the top five, and his future will continue at a great club."

About the author

Shambhu is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who focuses on previews, listicles and news articles. An ardent Manchester United supporter since before his teenage years, he started following the Red Devils by age 10 watching MUTV on television. Shambhu is also a highly-revered rapper and a playback singer on Spotify, having a whopping 1 million monthly listeners.

For his articles, Shambhu believes in triple-checking every piece of information, relying on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and Opta, and staying away from speculative publications. He believes that his law degree helped him to be more articulate and meticulous with his content and one of his core strengths is seamlessly involving emotion in his write-ups owing to the love for the sport. For Sportskeeda, has done exclusive interviews with Spanish legends Gaizka Mendieta and Fernando Morientes so far, and his articles boast of a huge readership of close to 50 million.

Shambhu's favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and the Argentine attaining glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment. He believes only Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could replicate Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry in the years to come. His favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson due to the Scot's unmatched longevity at the top.

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Edited by Sripad