Cardiff City have emerged as a shock destination for five-time Champions League winner Gareth Bale, with the Welshman a free agent this summer.
Bale is keen to find another club for the upcoming season, with the 2022 World Cup on the horizon, which Wales have qualified for for the first time since 1958.
However, he will be wary of pushing his injury-prone body too hard before November, when the tournament begins.
Perhaps as a result, he has been linked with an astonishing move to Championship side Cardiff City, which would allow him to remain in Wales until the tournament kicks off.
? ??????? | Gareth Bale has held talks with Cardiff City
? Cardiff City are a number of clubs interested in signing the Welshman pic.twitter.com/q5KWLRSiTk
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) June 22, 2022
The Bluebirds are thought to be one of a number of clubs keen on the veteran, with Spanish side Getafe having also spoken to his representatives earlier in the transfer window.
Champions League to Championship?
It would be quite the drop down in level for Bale were he to join Cardiff, though he would certainly manage more game time if he wanted it.
The main concern for the 32-year-old, however, would surely be match fitness, with his love of playing for his country very well documented even over any club side.
CARDIFF, WALES – SEPTEMBER 08: Gareth Bale of Wales during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between Wales and Estonia at Cardiff City Stadium on September 08, 2021 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Cardiff could offer him that in spades, and while the two games a week schedule and more physical nature of the league may not suit the Welshman, he would certainly be one of the star players in a side that only managed a lowly 18th placed finish last season.
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