Why Barcelona Should Buy Gareth Bale from Real Madrid

Hear me out on this one. Here’s why I think Barcelona should at least try to sign Gareth Bale…

Sell Samuel Umititi. Cash in on Ansu Fati. Cut your losses on Ousmane Dembele. Then, Barcelona should buy Gareth Bale.

Barcelona should make the Welshman their number one target this January, and in the summer if they can’t secure his signature in a couple months’ time. Talk about a major splash. This would amount to one of the greatest transfer sagas and stories in the history of the sport. And, it just might benefit both sides.

Bale And Real Madrid Poor Relationship

Bale has never shied away from expressing his discontent in Madrid. And he made it abundantly clear again before Wales’ 2-0 victory over Azerbaijan Saturday. The Real outcast said,

"“With Wales, I’m speaking my own language and feeling more comfortable… I definitely have a bit more excitement playing for Wales.” – Gareth Bale quote via (BBC)"

Generally, this is an unnecessary statement that can only cause more harm than good. But that’s exactly the point. Bale (and most likely his agent, Jonathan Barnett) carefully and meticulously crafted and planned this quote to stir up more heat, drama, and transfer rumors.

It’s no secret Bale has not enjoyed his time in the Spanish capital. It’s also crystal clear Madrid fans don’t appreciate him very much either. Despite winning three Champions Leagues, a La Liga title, Copa Del Rey, and scoring iconic goals in several of those finals, Bale and the fans have never really gotten along.

Sure, it has intensified in recent seasons, especially with his long injury history list exacerbating the problem. However, it’s never really been a perfect match between the two parties.

And now, it has clearly hit a tipping point after his comments this week. Zinedine Zidane’s return as manager at the Bernebeu this season hasn’t helped matter either and led to Bale’s return to the bench, as the two having never really seen eye to eye. The manager even said during preseason he wanted Bale out.

Barcelona Need A Big Name Success

This is where Barcelona comes in. Since Neymar’s departure, the Blaugrana haven’t found someone to occupy the left wing. Philippe Coutinho hasn’t worked as a left sided forward or left sided midfielder and went to Bayern Munich on loan.

Antoine Griezmann hasn’t made a smooth transition either since coming from Atletico Madrid this year. Why? Just as Paolo Dybala and Messi can’t play together for Argentina, Griezmann and Messi can’t work cohesively in Spain. All three play the same way, or rather, the two play like Messi. And that of course means they make way, not him.

Barca have spent huge money on Coutinho and Griezmann without much to show for it. Add on Dembele who hasn’t quite flourished at the Camp Nou, although his troubles may start off the field and bleed on to it instead. That’s three strikes in a row for the Catalans.

The board need a big name splash that will succeed at Barcelona after missing on their last few. What would make a bigger splash than buying Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale? Absolutely nothing.

Trim The Barca Fat

If Barcelona want to buy him, first they have to clear out some players and the checkbook.

Start by selling Umititi. He hasn’t impressed since winning the World Cup in 2018 and has missed significant time due to injuries. However, he’s still only 26, a perfect age for a club to buy him and have him through his prime. And don’t forget, he won a World Cup because he’s pretty dang good.

Fati is 17. Could he turn into an amazing, generational player? Sure. How often does that happen, though? Odds are he’ll be a good player, but once in a lifetime? Hard to count on that. Besides, that doesn’t mean others aren’t looking at him with that much upside potential. And with all the hype on him this season, the Blaugrana might be smart to make a pretty penny off him.

Teams have shown they’ll play for potential, Barca being one when they bought Dembele and PSG being another when they bought Kylian Mbappe. Surely someone will move for Fati as well.

Dembele brings his off-field problems with him with is a deterrent for any buying club. He is, though, still supremely talented and another club may find his talents to be worth the hassle. Maybe not a super club, but a club who fights for top four in their respective league could use a wide forward like him.

Do The Numbers Work?

After clearing out the in-house clutter a bit come the difficulties of making the deal happen. The obvious hurdle is a Madrid to Barca switch. However, it’s not as if he’d the be the first player moved between the two nor would he be the first to play for both sides during his career. Google “Luis Figo pig head” and just see what comes up.

Next is money. Of course, Madrid would probably ask for an outlandish transfer fee, wouldn’t they? Maybe, maybe not. They want him out badly so they’d be willing to cut the price, but since it’s Barca, that price likely has a premium and not a discount. It’s hard to gauge at this point. Transfermarkt currently lists him at €60 million which is reasonable.

He’s 30 now and transfer fees for 30+ year olds usually don’t go up. But he’s been hurt a lot so he’s got less miles on his legs than most 30 year olds. How much is that worth?

Madrid need to bring in some revenue for Financial Fair Play reasons after buying Luka Jovic and Eden Hazard, plus they could pursue Mbappe next year, so they could use €60 or €80 million. Furthermore, are Bale going for €60 million instead of €80 million and potential FFP infractions really going to stop them from making the move? No. Barcelona will make the numbers work.

Will Bale Want To Go?

After money, it’s on to the man himself. It seems now Bale has no affinity for Los Blancos and wouldn’t feel any moral obligation to skip arch rival Barcelona or any remorse should he go there. But to pry him away from his current contract of roughly $30 million a year, a deal he appears happy to run down even if it means not playing, Barca would have to match or increase it.

What’s a safe bet? $40 million a year? $50 million? That’s still less than Messi, but a huge increase on his current salary and still making him as one of the top earners in the game worldwide.

How long? Three years, or to the end of 2022/23 season. That’s not a long time to commit to for the club. Moreover, it’s perfect timing for both.

He’s 30 now and come Qatar 2022, he’ll be 33, for what in all likelihood will be his last chance to fire Wales to a World Cup. Will he really be around for United 2026? Probably not. So he must strike now while the iron’s hot.

In 2016, Wales reached the semifinals of the Euros, their first ever European Championships, and only second international tournament ever. Now, they made it two consecutive Euros qualifications after beating Hungary Tuesday in Cardiff. Coming off the back of two consecutive Euros qualifications, and in his last chance to make it to a World Cup, Bale will do everything in his power to be healthy and available to play for an improving Wales.

And to do that, he must be fit and playing well with club, which Barcelona should try to take advantage of, and nothing longer. Beyond that, if he were to leave Madrid for Barcelona, he will undoubtedly want to shove it to Madridistas every opportunity he gets. Whether it’s El Clasico, winning the league, Champions League, Bale will be fit so he can topple Real Madrid.

Motivation will not be an issue at the Camp Nou as it arguably has been at the Bernebeu.

Is It Worth The Risk?

In good form, highly motivated for both club and country, and staying healthy, this is a massive opportunity for Barcelona to pounce on. Playing on the left, with Messi on the right, and whoever through the middle, most likely not Luis Suarez, can be a lethal combination up front. And because of it, Bale will score 30 goals a year.

While this deal reaches the highest level possible on the awesome scale, it does come with some risk. If Bale can’t stay fit, it’s several hundreds of millions more wasted by the Barcelona board.

In addition, with Bale and Messi both over 30, the club are betting they can squeeze a few more drops of talent and brilliance out of them over the next couple years. What if they can’t and both are instead on a precipitous decline?

It’s not a sure-fire deal or success by any means. Still though, it’s an intriguing one. Can and/or will Gareth Bale put a stellar cherry on top of his club career in Europe, and in Spain in particular? Would he do it by going to Barcelona in a mega, blockbuster, head-turning, jaw-dropping, most outrageous transfer in history so he can stick it to Real Madrid and their fans?

There are risks and rewards for both sides, and possibly not enough upside for Barcelona to consider making the deal. It would, though, be an incredible story.

And just imagine it all works out perfectly. It would be the biggest story in the sport for years.

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Soccer should be fun. And there wouldn’t be anything more fun than Barcelona buying Bale. It’s your move, Barca.

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Why Barcelona should do the unthinkable by signing Gareth Bale

By Drew Pells | Nov 20, 2019