Gareth Bale to Liverpool SHOCK: The stunning offer tabled by Kop giants to Real Madrid
GARETH BALE could have signed for Liverpool as part of a deal that would taken Philippe Coutinho to Real Madrid NOT Barcelona last summer.
Posted Saturday, March 31, 2018 by Dailystar.co.uk
That’s the blockbuster claim coming out of France this morning.
Liverpool sold Coutinho to Barcelona in January just months after clinging on to him amid heavy interest and several bids from the Spanish giants.
Madrid and Paris St-Germain were also sniffing around the Brazilian superstar last summer but Barcelona was always his favoured destination.
It’s now emerged that Real were involved in talks over a deal that would have brought Coutinho to the Bernabeu with Bale going the other way to Anfield.
The claim is made in a new book which has gone on sale in France.
Gareth Bale: Liverpool failed with a bid for the Real Madrid star last summer
'PSG: Révélations D'une Révolution' details the inner-workings of the proposed deal, in which it’s alleged Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett was aware of a Liverpool offer of €70m (£61.5m) plus Coutinho in exchange for Bale in the summer of 2017.
No deal went through however, with Real failing to make a marquee signing despite selling Alvaro Morata to Chelsea for close to £60m.
Liverpool sold Coutinho to Barcelona for around £142m in January.
Jurgen Klopp could have landed Gareth Bale from Real Madrid
They are yet to reinvest the huge windfall and could decide to have another attempt at Bale in the summer.
Spanish football expert Guillem Balague says the Welsh wonder could be on the market, with Real keen to clear the decks and free up funds for new signings.
"Real Madrid need the money because they want to bring Lewandowski, Hazard and Courtois,” Balague told Sky Sports earlier this month.
Philippe Coutinho joined Barcelona from Liverpool in January
"Those are the guys and they need money for that.
"The one that they can get money for is Bale.
“When that happens you go to your many stars, so you go to Cristiano and ask him if he is happy if Bale goes, if Benzema stays, if Hazard comes, if Courtois comes.
"He [Ronaldo] would basically love to have Lewandowski next to him which is funny because he is a forward, a little bit like Harry Kane.
"But Lewandowski has developed his game, a little bit like more mobile than Harry Kane.
"Lewandowski, Hazard and him, he will be happy.”
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