Report: Bale nearing lucrative Jiangsu Suning switch

It appears the Gareth Bale soap opera at Real Madrid is almost over.

The out-of-favor Welshman is close to making a blockbuster move to the Chinese Super League to join Jiangsu Suning, according to The Telegraph's Matt Law.

Bale will reportedly pocket over £1 million per week, nearly double his £600,000-a-week wages with the Spanish giants. Barcelona deity Lionel Messi is currently football's highest-paid player while making £1.7 million per week, while Hebei China Fortune's Ezequiel Lavezzi is China’s top earner at £500,000 per week.

Amid a falling out with Real boss Zinedine Zidane, Bale has been linked with a Beijing Guoan transfer that would have made the former Tottenham winger China's richest player.

Bale didn't feature in Real Madrid's preseason friendly versus Bayern Munich, with Zidane saying the omission was a result of the player's refusal to play. Bale did appear in Los Blancos' next summer tune-up, coming off the bench against Arsenal to score in the second half.

Over six seasons in the Spanish capital, Bale has suffered through injuries while bagging 78 La Liga goals. The 77-time capped Wales international has paired one league title with four in the Champions League.

Bale will join former Inter striker Eder and ex-Shakhtar Donetsk star Alex Teixeira with the two-time top-flight runners-up. The Suning Holdings Group owns Jiangsu Suning, the same consortium that bought into Milan in 2016.

The Chinese transfer window closes the last day of July.