Gareth Bale has told his bosses at Real Madrid that he wants to throw off the positional yoke he has been forced to wear over the past two seasons. He has no intention of playing on the right wing. He does not like playing there and thinks that his game suffers when he does.

Two weeks ago, the Welshman's agent, Jonathan Barnett met with Real Madrid president, Florentino Pérez and the club's chief executive, José Ángel Sánchez. The club's top dog made it very clear that Bale, who he sees as a possible Ballon d'Or winner, is staying at the Bernabéu.

Florentino Pérez has no doubts that the Welshman is going to play a huge part in Real Madrid's future and has no intention of letting him head back to the Premier League. Manchester United have called twice to offer €100m, but both bids were turned down. Bale is not for sale.

The key is in tweaking Cristiano Ronaldo's position out on the pitch. The Portuguese has refused to play in and around the area as a centre-forward. CR7 wants space to play, cutting in from the left wing.