Gareth Bale did not want to play against Bayern and Real Madrid still trying to sell winger, insists Zinedine Zidane

GARETH BALE did not play against Bayern Munich… because he decided he didn’t want to.

That is according to Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, who has taken another swipe at his unwanted winger.

Zidane’s stinging comments at the weekend – that Bale is “very close to leaving” and it would be “best for everyone” when he does – caused an angry reaction from the player’s agent Jonathan Barnett, who labelled the Frenchman a “disgrace”.

But addressing the media ahead of his side’s pre-season clash with Arsenal, Zizou reiterated his stance, insisting he has not disrespected Bale and the club are still actively trying to get rid of the Welshman.

Zidane said: “At times my Spanish is very suspect. I want to be very clear about this.

“Firstly, I have not disrespected anybody and least of all the player. I have always said the same, the players are the most important and every time I am with a player here I will be with them always.

“The second thing, I said the club is trying to sell him. Full stop.

“Third point, I think it is very important and crucial to say that the other day Gareth did not change because he did not want to.

“He said the club was trying to negotiate his departure, and he didn’t want to play because of that.

“Now we are going to reinitiate. He will train with us today. He will train with the squad today but tomorrow is tomorrow.

“Gareth is a Real Madrid player. That is the most important thing, he is a player for the squad.

“[His] situation is known by everyone and will not change. The club is going to do what they have to do with him.”

WHERE NEXT?

Zidane added that “Bale hasn’t asked not to play tomorrow – so far” so could be involved against his former North London rivals in Washington.

But clearly not wanted by his manager, the £85million man will no doubt be weighing up his options.

A return to the Premier League seems unlikely due to his wages – currently around £600,000 per week.

Bayern Munich have been linked as they look to replace Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben this summer.

But the most likely destination as things stand is the Chinese Super League, with clubs prepared to make him the first £1m-a-week footballer.

Beijing Guoan and Jiangsu Suning are both allegedly offering that money, with one sensational report in China claiming Bale has already agreed to join the latter.

But Bale is understood to prefer to stay in Europe and a swap deal which would see Neymar leave Paris Saint-Germain for the Bernabeu.

Zidane, though, claims he has no idea whether that could be on the cards.

He added: “I do not know at all. I have to pay attention to all the players that are part of the squad at the moment.

“Bale is with us today in the squad, he will train too. I will count with him for the upcoming games. It’s a reality.”