Gareth Bale to rival Lionel Messi's Barcelona pay packet as he quits Real Madrid for China - 7M sport

Gareth Bale to rival Lionel Messi's Barcelona pay packet as he quits Real Madrid for China

GARETH BALE is set to rival Lionel Messi as the highest-paid footballer on the planet after agreeing a three-year deal to join Chinese Super League outfit Jiangsu Suning.


Posted Sunday, July 28, 2019 by Express.co.uk

Gareth Bale to rival Lionel Messi's Barcelona pay packet as he quits Real Madrid for China
Gareth Bale to rival Lionel Messi's Barcelona pay packet as he quits Real Madrid for China (Image: GETTY)

The Welshman will be paid a basic salary of £1.1million a week, almost doubling the £600,000 a week that he currently earns at Real Madrid.

Bale's basic weekly wage will be boosted even higher by a generous bonus structure that will be built into his contract.

Only Messi, who is paid around £1.2m a week by Barcelona, will earn more than Gareth Bale, who was brought up in a former Cardiff council house.

Jiangsu Suning, based in Nanjing, east China are currently sixth in the CSL table and were previously managed by former England boss Fabio Capello.

Bale, 30, could make his debut next Friday when Jiangsu, who are owned by real estate giants Suning Appliance Group, travel to Guangzhou R&F.

One of his new team-mates will be Brazilian Alex Teixeira, who Liverpool unsuccessfully tried to buy from Shakhtar Donetsk three years ago in a long-running transfer saga.

Jiangsu Suning have been working around the clock with Bale’s lawyers to agree a deal before Wednesday’s Chinese transfer deadline.

And his departure from the La Liga giants will be rubber-stamped as soon as the fine print has been ironed out.

Gareth Bale to rival Lionel Messi's Barcelona pay packet as he quits Real Madrid for China
Gareth Bale to rival Lionel Messi's Barcelona pay packet as he quits Real Madrid for China (Image: GETTY)

It will then allow Real Madrid to move for wantaway Manchester United and France star Paul Pogba.

Real have been heavy spenders in the transfer market this summer on the likes of Eden Hazard but Zinedine Zidane is ready to splash even more cash on Pogba.

Pogba is seen as the man to freshen up Real’s midfield, but United are reluctant to let him go for anything less than £150m.

United had been touted as a potential destination for Bale due to Ed Woodward’s previous penchant for big-name signings.


Gareth Bale to rival Lionel Messi's Barcelona pay packet as he quits Real Madrid for China
Gareth Bale to rival Lionel Messi's Barcelona pay packet as he quits Real Madrid for China (Image: GETTY)

Gareth Bale to rival Lionel Messi's Barcelona pay packet as he quits Real Madrid for China
Gareth Bale to rival Lionel Messi's Barcelona pay packet as he quits Real Madrid for China (Image: GETTY)

While Tottenham had been tipped to lure him back to north London as they embark on a new era at their state-of-the-art stadium.

However, it appears neither side had the appetite to match the wages on offer over in China.

Chelsea, meanwhile, had been interested in taking Bale as part of a swap deal for the departed Hazard.

The fact they cannot register new players due to a transfer ban meant that lead went cold for the former Southampton ace.



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