Julen Lopetegui insists Gareth Bale is content at Real Madrid

Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui has suggested that Gareth Bale would be staying put for the upcoming campaign after indicating that the Welshman is ‘very happy’ at the Bernabeu. Bale’s future came under question shortly after his Champions League heroics versus Liverpool where he admitted his frustration over the reduced gametime.

However, the club have since witnessed the high-profile exit of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lopetegui has now suggested that the Welshman could transform into a key player after the Portuguese’s departure, he said: “He’s very, very happy. He’s very happy to play at Real Madrid. He’s happy to be here, this is a fantastic opportunity for him to show his talent.I’ve talked to him like I’ve talked to everyone. He’s with the team, he’s happy, he’s in line with our goals and it’s a start of a new exciting path for us that I’m looking forward to.  Bale is a magnificent player with qualities and we are convinced he and everyone else can fill the void[Ronaldo exit].”

Over the past couple of summer transfer windows, Bale has been tipped for a potential return to the Premier League but that does not appear like happening this summer with the Welshman seeming content with the gametime assurance. As such, the European champions are sufficiently covered despite the departure of Ronaldo but they could be tempted to make one big-money signing before the transfer deadline.

As per reports, the Champions League holders could make a potential club-record move to sign Eden Hazard from Chelsea but they are unlikely to get the Belgian on the cheap with the Blues placing a £170m price tag on his head. In this case, they may consider delaying the move for another summerwhere the Belgian could enter the final year of his Stamford Bridge contract.