Bale deal still Real

Posted Monday, August 12, 2013 by Marca.com

Real Madrid has its work cut out, and not just on the pitch – where Carlo Ancelotti is trying to implement his system – but also in the offices. To move things along, the president and the manager have held several meetings during the US tour. The latest one was during the team's training session in Saint Louis on Friday afternoon.

Florentino and José Angel Sánchez chatted with the manager over the course of half an hour in the stands of Saint Louis University stadium, whilst the team was put through its paces by Paul Clement and Zinedine Zidane.

The president started out by speaking to Ancelotti and bringing him up to date on the Bale negotiations, as well as the interest in some of Real's players from a number of other clubs. Carlo has to decide which players could still go if the Welsh player is signed, something which is almost being taken for granted by 'Los Blancos'. Tottenham wants Coentrao, but has also asked after Jesé and Morata in the event that it is forced to bid farewell to its greatest sporting asset, none other than Bale.

Florentino let Ancelotti know that the Bale deal is still on the table and that he is convinced that he will form part of the squad this season. The Italian would be delighted to have the Welshman in his ranks, but expressed his frustration that his signing is taking so long. Ancelotti is concerned that the whole affair could take its toll on the player, as occurred with Luka Modric last season.