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Gareth Bale and Raheem Sterling.
- Real Madrid is preparing to offer Manchester City Gareth Bale plus $90.4 million in return for Raheem Sterling, according to Sky Sports.
- Madrid tried unsuccessfully to land Sterling in the summer but is ready to try again using Bale as a way of getting closer to the Englishman's $278 million valuation.
- Bale is reported to be keen on a move away from the Santiago Bernabeu, with Spanish football expert Guillem Balague telling the BBC that the Welshman is "angry" at his lack of game time.
- "For the first time since he arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2013, the Welshman wants to leave," Balague said. "He feels that it is not fair what is being done with him."
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Real Madrid is reportedly preparing to make Manchester City an offer of Gareth Bale plus $90.4 million in exchange for Raheem Sterling, according to Sky Sports.
The La Liga giant tried unsuccessfully to bring Sterling to the Santiago Bernabeu during the summer, however is now ready to make a second attempt to land its man.
Representatives of Madrid will travel to watch Sterling play for England next month against Montenegro and Kosovo, Sky Sports says, before deciding on a final proposal for the City forward.
At approximately $278 million, Sterling is the world's most valuable footballer according to the CIES Football Observatory, a sports think tank in Switzerland.
To match that price, Madrid needs to include the 30-year-old Gareth Bale in the offer, who reportedly wishes to leave the club.
Last month, Spanish football expert Guillem Balague told the BBC that Bale was "angry" at being left out of Madrid's UEFA Champions League clash with Club Brugges, and said it was the "final straw" for the forward.
"For the first time since he arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2013, the Welshman wants to leave," Balague said.
"He feels that it is not fair what is being done with him."
Bale has scored 104 goals in 238 games for Los Blancos, including three goals in two separate Champions League final victories, first in 2014, and then in 2018.
Sterling joined City from Liverpool for a fee of $65 million in 2015, and has since scored 82 times in 205 games. His contract at City does not expire until 2023, according to transfermarkt.
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