Manchester United target Gareth Bale not expected to leave Real Madrid for Old Trafford
Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale will not join Manchester United or any other interested party during the summer transfer window, according to former Bernabeu chief Ramon Calderon.
Bale has endured a difficult second season in the Spanish capital and during a campaign expected to end without a major trophy, the Wales international has constantly been a source of frustration among Real fans.
The 25-year-old played for Real in the 1-1 Champions League semi-final second leg draw against Juventus that saw Carlo Ancelotti's side dumped out of the tournament and miss out on a final against arch rivals Barcelona.
Amid a poor Real performance, which saw Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty put them on course for the final before Alvaro Morata's second-half equaliser, Bale produced an encouraging display and created several chances as the reigning champions pushed for as winner.
However, Bale's performance has been heavily criticised by sections of the British press and has intensified rumours that United could reignite their interest in the winger during the upcoming summer transfer window.
United failed in a bid to sign Bale from Tottenham Hotspur prior to his world record £85m move to Real in the summer of 2013 while managed by David Moyes but have been heavily linked to test the Spanish's club resolve with an £80m bid.
However, ex-Real president Calderon does not expect Real to sell Bale and says only the player will decide when his time at the club is over.
"I think he will stay [at Real Madrid] if he wants," he told Talksport. "As I always say, it's the player who decides whether he leaves or not. I don't see Real Madrid selling him now, after having paid more than €100m for him. Only if he says: 'I'm not happy here, I want to leave.'
"That's the only moment I see him out of Real Madrid. People are unfair with him. He wasn't the worst player [against Juventus], he had several clear chances and he was unlucky and he's help a lot over the last season.
"I don't think he's [dipped in form]. He came with a higher transfer fee than Cristiano [Ronaldo], so people are comparing Bale with him.
"They want to see him be better than Ronaldo, to score more goals. That's impossible though. It's unfair to say he's failed."
Concerns over the ex-Southampton youngster's future in Madrid has come amid a war of words between Ancelotti and the player's agent, Jonathan Barnett, after the representative claimed Real's players openly do not pass to Bale during games.
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