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Report: Beijing Guoan prepared to make Bale highest-paid player in China

Joe Giddens - PA Images / PA Images / Getty

Beijing Guoan could be one of Gareth Bale's few realistic ways to leave Real Madrid this summer.

The Welsh attacker's spell in Madrid is reaching an acrimonious conclusion, with manager Zinedine Zidane excluding him from Saturday's friendly against Bayern Munich and openly saying he hopes Bale will leave soon. The Southampton product's agent, Jonathan Barnett, spat back, calling Zidane a "disgrace" for disrespecting his client.

The sticking point in Bale's possible exit is that not many clubs are prepared to take on a 30-year-old who has suffered many injuries and is on huge wages. But Beijing Guoan of the Chinese Super League are an exception, and the team is open to paying Bale more than Ezequiel Lavezzi in East Asia, according to The Telegraph's Matt Law.

Lavezzi, the 34-year-old forward who plies his trade for Hebei China Fortune, is the league's current top earner, with his wages exceeding £500,000 per week. Bale, meanwhile, is earning €17 million per year after tax in Spain, The Guardian's Sid Lowe understands, and he's unwilling to take a pay cut to remain at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Barnett suggested Bale's next destination could be a surprise, and Guoan are among the wealthiest clubs in China. They have previously purchased Cedric Bakambu from Villarreal for at least £35 million, and also employ Jonathan Viera and Renato Augusto - who have represented Spain and Brazil, respectively - and former Bayer Leverkusen boss Roger Schmidt.

The Chinese transfer window closes at the end of July, giving Guoan just 10 days to strike a deal.

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