Bayern Munich head coach Nico Kovac has insisted he does not know if Gareth Bale wants to move to the Bundesliga from Real Madrid - or even if he will leave the Spanish capital this summer.
The Welsh winger, now 30 years old, has a fractious relationship with Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane, who twice left him out of his matchday squad entirely towards the end of the season.
But Kovac insists that, while he is an admirer of Bale’s talents, he does not know if the forward will leave the Santiago Bernabeu in this transfer window despite the fact Zidane is yet again unlikely to afford him more playing time.
“I would like my German colleagues [journalists] to listen carefully to what I have to say. [Gareth Bale] is a great player, like other players who are also great players,” Kovac told a news conference.
“I can’t tell you whether he really can play somewhere else apart from Real Madrid and if he will even succeed at other clubs. This is something that I don’t know and I can’t really predict.”
Bayern have just bid farewell to veteran wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery and are thought to be in the market for a new wide-man, and midfielder Thiago Alcantara took a different tone to his boss, claiming that a wide player of Bale’s quality would be welcomed with open arms at the Allianz Arena.
“It’s pretty easy to say actually whether he would be welcome at Bayern Munich,” Thiago said at the same press conference.
“We’ve just spoken about these three players: [Arjen] Robben, Franck Ribery and Gareth Bale. All three play mostly in the same position, on the wing.
“Players who are similar to [Bale], Robben and Ribery, have written part of the club’s history at Bayern and if somebody like Gareth Bale wants to come, then, as I said, every player who wants to join the club and who wants to support and help the club is more than welcome.”
Bayern have also been linked with Manchester City’s Leroy Sane and Celta Vigo’s Brais Mendez, while Lucas Hernandez, Benjamin Pavard and Jann-Fiete Arp have all been signed already ahead of the new season.