Bale part of group to have Cardiff City takeover bid rejected

Gareth Bale, a former Wales and Real Madrid player, was a part of a May bid to purchase Cardiff City, his hometown club.

The 35-year-old former Wales captain, who left the sport in January 2023, is thought to have been a part of a group that made a proposal to acquire a controlling stake in the League One side with Bluebirds owner Vincent Tan in writing.

The Malaysian businessman is believed to be having little interest in selling at the moment, but the group is now assuming that it will try again.

The reports about a bid for the newly relegated club from the Championship have surfaced late on Friday afternoon, but Cardiff are not commenting.

The proposal, it is understood, did not advance to the discussion board.

Bale, who won the Champions League five times with Real Madrid, had been linked with a move to Cardiff as a player before making the decision to join Major League Soccer (MLS) side Los Angeles FC.