According to Gareth Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett, as relayed by Sky Sports, the Welshman won't be leaving for the Premier League on loan and is set to see out his contract at Real Madrid.

What's the word, then?

Speculation over Bale's future has been growing as of late, and with El Chiringuito TV claiming Daniel Levy has met with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez to discuss the Welshman, a January move seemed possible.

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But Barnett has quickly dismissed these claims, even calling a potential loan to England "ridiculous" when talking at the Association of Football Agents meeting in north London - as quoted by Sky Sports:

"He's got another two-and-a-half years left on his contract, and he's fine. He will be there, everything will be fine. He's one of the best players on earth, why would he go somewhere on loan? That's ridiculous."

It seems that Los Blancos are set to keep their star who has somewhat fallen from grace in recent times.

Verdict

While the potential departure of the Welshman to one of the Premier League clubs could've been beneficial for all parties involved, if he's not leaving this month then we may as well focus on the positives of him staying.

Bale hasn't been that involved throughout 2019/20, only managing to tally 990 minutes across 15 games played in all competition for the Galacticos - scoring three and assisting two in the process.

But when he's fit and firing on all cylinders - which can be a rarity with his continuous fitness issues - he's still a quality player.

That much was seen in Real Madrid's Copa del Rey clash against Unionistas CF when the Welshman scored one of Real Madrid's three goals. And of course, looking back through the years, there's the famous Champions League bicycle kick and the cup final goals of the 2013/14 season.

He's not so much a flagship talent these days, but he can certainly still give something to the squad - a super sub, a man for big occasions, a rotation option for when Real Madrid simply need to get the job done.

Perhaps this isn't the ideal outcome for Real Madrid considering how sparingly he's been used this season, but having Bale around is by no means a bad thing.

Elsewhere, AC Milan are reportedly plotting a shock move for a player that's still down in the Championship...