GARETH BALE has tabled a £40million bid to buy his beloved hometown club Cardiff City, according to reports.
A consortium led by Bale has been in the market to buy a football team, having already been linked with a failed move to takeover at Plymouth Argyle.
Cardiff is the subject of takeover interest from local lad Gareth Bale
Current Cardiff owner Vincent Tan, who resides in Malaysia, is open to selling the Welsh club – who were relegated from the Championship to League One in May.
Talks are taking place behind the scenes between Cardiff and a US-based private equity group, reports The Times.
And now an official bid, worth less than HALF of the £86million paid by Real Madrid to Tottenham for Bale in 2013, has been submitted.
The Wales legend spoke publicly for the first time about his plans to take over the League One club at the European premiere of F1: The Movie in London at the end of June.
Bale, 35, said: “We are interested in getting Cardiff. It’s my home club, it’s where I grew up and my uncle used to play for them.
“To be involved with an ownership group would be a dream come true. I would love to be able to be a part of growing Cardiff and taking it to the Premier League where it belongs.”
Bale was born in the Welsh capital in 1989 and his uncle Chris Pike was a prolific striker at The Bluebirds between his nephew’s birth-year and 1993.
Cardiff have reportedly already rejected an undisclosed first bid made by the Bale-led consortium.
GettyCurrent owner Vincent Tan has admitted he would be open to selling If the price is right[/caption]
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Divisive owner Tan, who became the majority owner in 2010, has invested £200m on his way to Cardiff descending to the third tier for the first time in more than 20 years.
That means the new £40m offer is likely to be fiercely rejected, even if it indicates a level of intent by Bale’s team.
It comes just weeks after his former Madrid and Spurs team-mate Luka Modric bought a minority stake in local rivals Swansea City for a reported £1m.
Bale retired from football two years ago after a stellar career in which he won five Champions Leagues with Madrid and 111 caps for his country.
Cardiff, who were relegated from the Championship last season after finishing rock bottom, have just appointed Brian Barry-Murphy as their new manager.
I would love to take Cardiff back to the Premier League where it belongs
Gareth Bale
Barry-Murphy has been hired after a disastrous season which saw the club cycle through Erol Bulut, Omer Riza, and Aaron Ramsey (interim) as managers.
Wales‘ greatest-ever player earned an eye-watering £600,000-per-week during his time at Madrid, but also set himself up for well into retirement with a series of business moves.
Bale opened his bar ‘Elevens’ in Cardiff in 2017, before building on that success by combining his next pub venture with his love of golf to open Par 59 five years later.
He has since opened a second Par 59 venue in Bristol, while he has also made a “significant investment” in Penderyn Distillery.
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