Gareth Bale's standoff with Real Madrid is due to the collapse of a proposed move to China 12 months ago, according to reports in Spain.
The Wales international move to Jiangsu Suning broke down because Real asked the Chinese Super League club for a small transfer fee, leaving both Bale and his agent, Jonathan Barnett, enraged.
Marca have now reported that the reason Barnett has made it crystal-clear that Bale is happy to see out the remaining two years of his contract is due to that botched move.
The Spanish outlet report that Bale's departure is the club's No.1 priority this summer, given the hefty chunk of the wage bill he is taking up and the sizeable sum he would command in terms of a transfer fee.
But if the Spanish giants are to do so, they will have to overcome the stubbornness of Barnett - who Marca dub 'the toughest agent in the world'.
Following that collapse, it's reported that Barnett has made it clear he will not listen to anymore offers for his client due to the poor handling of the situation 12 months ago.
Bale has been frozen out of Zinedine Zidane's side and requested not to travel to Manchester for last week's quarter-final tie as he knew he wouldn't be used.
Throughout this saga, Bale has regularly been linked with a move back to the Premier League, with a reunion with Tottenham regularly touted.
However, due to his hefty contract at the Santiago Bernabeu, no proposals have been forthcoming and Real face a struggle to get him off their books this summer.
