From Italy: Southampton have now joined the race to sign 'world class' 183-goal forward - report

An interesting Southampton transfer claim has now come out of Italy involving former Saints favourite and Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale.

The Wales international is set to leave his current club this summer and is being tipped as one of the big-name free agents who could make a move to the Premier League.

Bale’s contract at the Bernabeu expires in late June, with Tottenham, Cardiff City, Newcastle, Rangers and AC Milan all having been previously linked with a move (90min).

In a possible boost for interested clubs from the top flight, his agent Jonathan Barnett recently told Record (via Evening Standard) that Bale is likely to make a return to England. However, much will depend on Wales and whether they qualify for the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

According to Calciomercato, Southampton have now been added to the list of interested clubs as Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side join the race to sign Bale.

The Italian news outlet claimed that they are ‘on his trail’, alongside Championship club Cardiff City.

If his national team are to seal a place at Qatar, we believe that a return to St Mary’s for Bale cannot be ruled out.

While the 32-year-old has started just four La Liga matches all season, it’s clear that the former Spurs star still possesses the ability to threaten – averaging three shots at goal per 90 over those limited minutes (WhoScored).

Only big name striker Karim Benzema has averaged more in the Real Madrid squad with Bale also finishing 2020/21 as Tottenham’s third-best player in terms of goals and assists combined during his north London loan spell (WhoScored).

It’s little surprise that talkSPORT host Andy Goldstein claimed that Bale is still ‘world-class‘ despite entering his twilight years and Southampton’s