Ah transfer rumours, where would we be without them?
During the off-season especially, transfer rumours circulate wildly, each more outlandish than the next, in an attempt to fill the void of no domestic football.
It seems these days, however, that transfer rumours have transcended the boundary and now seem to be around more often.
Even now in late March, three months before the transfer window next opens, the biggest moves of the summer are already being predicted and hypothesised by just about every news outlet in the world.
One that has the potential to be the most high-profile of them all concerns Real Madrid and one of their greatest stars...
Is Bale finally leaving Real for good?
It's been whispered about for quite a while - Gareth Bale was supposedly a target for Manchester United last summer, but that move failed to materialise.
But now that Los Merengues are reportedly stepping up their interest in Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, it's becoming all the more clear that the Welshman's starting spot at Santiago Bernabéu may not necessarily be guaranteed next season.
According to everyone's favourite Spanish news outlet Don Balón, Bale himself knows that his time in Madrid is coming to an end and wants to join a club where he will be a star player.
Crucially, Real are said to be happy to sell and Don Balón expect that move to happen sooner rather than later, clearly stating that he will no longer be seen in a Los Blancos shirt after the end of this season.
But Bale is not the only one who is said to be looking for a move away from Madrid this summer...
Companion Kovacic
The very same article also says that Mateo Kovacic will exit this summer, saying that the Croatian midfielder has had it difficult in Madrid.
Since his 2015 move from Internazionale, Kovacic has failed to cement a regular place in Zinedine Zidane's side and will almost certainly need to leave to kickstart his stalling career.
Don Balón reckon that the most likely destination for the two wantaways is the Premier League, and also say that Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have all enquired about the availability of the pair.
The article even goes as far as to imply that Kovacic is being more highly sought-after than his Welsh teammate, pointing at the esteem by which he is held by England's elite.
As it stands, Bale is probably the more likely of the two to leave the Bernabéu this summer, but if a good enough offer comes in for Kovacic, then we could well see the playmaker grace the Premier League next season.
