A consortium spearheaded by Gareth Bale has submitted an offer to buyCardiff City, his hometown club. The former Real Madrid and Wales star believes he is the ideal candidate to turn around Cardiff’s fortunes after relegation to League One, the club dropping into the third tier for the first time since 2002-2003.
Bale and his team are awaiting a response from the Cardiff owner, Vincent Tan, but believe their offer is serious and fair, and are thought to be optimistic it could be accepted. Tan’s valuation of the club or whether he is open to selling is unclear but the Malaysian billionaire has invested more than £200m since buying it in 2010.
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Last month Bale outlined his intentions to buy Cardiff, describing a possible takeover as “a dream come true”. The 35-year-old former forward, who retired after a glittering playing careerin 2023, added: “We are interested in getting Cardiff. It’s my home club, it’s where I grew up and my uncle [Chris Pike] used to play for them. To be involved with an ownership group would be a dream come true.“It is a club close to my heart and I would love to be able to be a part of growing Cardiff and taking it to the Premier League where it belongs. I know how amazing the Welsh fans and Cardiff fans are. It would be amazing to try and do something together. We are trying to engage with Cardiff and more news will come out on that in the future, but hopefully we can get something done.”The makeup of the group led by Bale is unknown but it is thought to include US investors. Last month an initial proposal by Bale’s consortium was reportedly dismissed by Tan. Cardiff have been approached for comment.Bale, who won the Champions League five times with Real, was linked with a move to Cardiff towards the end of his playing career, before the 2022 World Cup, which he finished in the US with Los Angeles FC.In a statement after relegation, Tan, who last month appointed Brian Barry-Murphy as the club’s new head coach, said: “Not all decisions when it comes to the first team have worked as I had hoped for us. To lose our place in the Championship is upsetting. The important thing is that we regain it at the earliest opportunity and I would like to take this chance to tell you that I am committed to getting us back.”