Cardiff City have reportedly upped their efforts to win the race to sign Gareth Bale on a free transfer.
On Sunday evening, the 32-year-old played a pivotal role in yet another memorable win for Wales, the forward's free kick deflected into his own net by Ukraine's Andriy Yarmolenko as the Dragons booked their place at the 2022 World Cup.
Amid speculation that he may retire had Wales suffered defeat in Cardiff, Bale was naturally quizzed on his future, acknowledging that he intended to extend his career into the 2022-23 campaign.
Although Bale has spent the last nine years representing Real Madrid, playing for another big club at this stage of his career is not necessarily at the forefront of his plans.
Instead, Championship team Cardiff City have long been tipped to be in the running should the national team legend require a team in the build-up to the major tournament in Qatar.
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According to BBC Sport, Cardiff are now stepping up their attempts to secure the signature of Bale, likely on a contract until the end of the season.
While the signing is described as 'improbable', the Bluebirds are the bookmakers favourites and Bale was born in the city, an obvious emotional pull after such a famous win on Sunday.
Much is likely to depend on how Cardiff can incorporate a deal for Bale into the rest of their summer plans, the club unlikely to want to risk any issues with the EFL's financial regulations further down the line.
However, the report claims that Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman has specifically made the trip to the United Kingdom to hold discussions with the relevant parties.
Although Bale has made 16 appearances for Wales since the start of 2021, the attacker featured on just seven occasions during his final year at the Santiago Bernabeu.
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Given the demands of the Championship, Bale would not be expected to be available for every game, something else that will need to be considered when assessing whether any proposal makes sense.
As well as Cardiff, Tottenham Hotspur are also a natural option for Bale having previously signed their former player on loan for 2020-21.
However, according to The Telegraph, Spurs have no intention of making a bid, even with Antonio Conte keen to bring in competition for Harry Kane.
A number of MLS clubs may come into the equation, something which could appeal to Bale with any deal only lasting until November.
Darren Plant
