Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale reportedly withdrew from this summer's Olympics in order to push through a move to Spain next season.
The 23-year-old was due to represent Team GB this summer, but withdrew with a back injury. However, he caused a stir when turning out for Spurs in pre-season.
According to a source close to the player, Bale wants to get a full pre-season under his belt in order to have the best possible chance of forcing through a move to Barcelona or Real Madrid next summer.
"The plan of Gareth and his team is to move to Spain and they felt he was best able to achieve that by having a gentle build-up to the new season rather than playing in the Olympics," the source told The Sweeper.
Spurs value Bale in the region of £50m.
