German champions Bayern Munich have reportedly made an audacious offer to sign Real Madrid outcast Gareth Bale on a free transfer this summer.
The Welsh international has been the subject of much transfer speculation for the last few months after being frozen out by Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane - and almost completed a lucrative move to the Chinese Super League last month only for the deal to collapse at the last minute.
Bale is said to have received Premier League interest from the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and former club Tottenham Hotspur, although no side has yet submitted a firm bid and the chances of getting a deal done before tonight's 5pm transfer deadline now appear remote.
The 30-year-old has also been linked with a switch to Bayern in recent weeks, and according to AS, the Bundesliga outfit are now gearing up to make an offer.
The newspaper claims that Niko Kovac's side are prepared to match Bale's current wages of £260,000 a week but are not prepared to pay a transfer fee for the player, who joined Los Blancos for a then-world record £85m in 2013 and still has three years remaining on his existing contract in the Spanish capital.
Despite wanting to secure a fee for Bale, Madrid could be tempted to agree to Bayern's terms as such an arrangement would both get his wages off the books and fulfil Zidane's desire to move him on.
The two clubs still have some time remaining to work out a potential deal as the German transfer window remains open until August 31.
