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– Wales captain Gareth Bale has agreed to join MLS side Los Angeles FC on a free transfer.
– Forward Bale, 32, is currently a free agent having left Real Madrid after nine years in Spain.
– The five-time Champions League winner had been linked with a return to Tottenham Hotspur as well as a move to home-city club Cardiff.
Also Read: Gareth Bale agrees deal to join Los Angeles FC
– LAFC have yet to officially confirm the deal, but Bale tweeted on Saturday saying: “See you soon, Los Angeles”.
– The signing of Bale, who joined Real Madrid for a then world-record fee of £85m in 2013, is set to follow LAFC’s move for Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini earlier this month.
See you soon, Los Angeles. 👊 @LAFC @LAFC3252 pic.twitter.com/GVP8WVWLPe
— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) June 25, 2022
– There was speculation that Bale would end his playing career had Wales missed out on qualification for the 2022 World Cup.
– But after Robert Page’s side booked their place in Qatar by beating Ukraine in their World Cup play-off final earlier this month, the only question about Bale’s future was which club he would join.
– There had been suggestions Bale would opt to join Cardiff, with his agents confirming earlier this week that they had held talks with the Championship club.
– Cardiff share a training ground with the Football Association of Wales, which would have allowed Bale to continue working closely with Wales’ medical and fitness staff while on club duty.
– But he is instead heading for the MLS, where the season runs from February until October and the competition’s secondary transfer window opens on 7 July.
– LAFC, who are managed by former USA international Steve Cherundolo, are currently top of the MLS’ Western Conference and have 19 regular-season games to play.
– The end-of-season play-offs follow, with the season-ending MLS Cup final to be played on 5 November – 16 days before Wales’ World Cup campaign begins with a game against the USA.
