Chelsea and Manchester United have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Gareth Bale, with Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane claiming the player will not be sold this summer.
The Daily Star are reporting the Frenchman is confident that neither Bale or Karim Benzema will leave the Bernebau despite both being linked with moves in recent times.
Bale has reportedly fallen out with his manager over his lack of playing time this season, having made 22 La Liga appearances this campaign, scoring 11 times.
Benzema has found his place in the squad under threat after failing to find the back of the net on a consistent basis this season.
In a recent press conference, Zidane said:
We need them [Bale and Benzema] and I’ll do everything possible so that they’re not affected by what’s been said outside. They’ll stay with us.
I know all our players want to play, but it isn’t possible. The message is for everyone, not just Bale and Benzema, that we’re sticking together because there’s a month left of the season and we have it all to do.
Los Blancos have endured a disappointing season, finding themselves third in the La Liga rankings and 15 points behind leaders Barcelona with four games to play.
However, they do still have a chance of winning the Champions League and take a 2-1 lead into their semi-final second leg with Bayern Munich this week.
