Gareth Bale, the former Real Madrid and Wales icon, was part of a consortium that attempted to purchase Cardiff City earlier this year.
The 35-year-old, who hung up his boots in January 2023, is believed to have joined a group that approached Cardiff owner Vincent Tan in May with a proposal to acquire a controlling interest in the club. However, the bid was turned down.
Despite the rejection, it’s thought the group may revisit their interest in the League One side, who were recently relegated from the Championship.
The approach reportedly did not advance to the level of boardroom discussion, and Cardiff City have declined to comment on the reports.
Tan, the club’s long-time owner, is understood to have little desire to sell at this time.
Bale, who famously won five Champions League titles with Real Madrid, had previously been linked with a return to his hometown club as a player in 2022 ahead of the World Cup.
Gareth Bale is leading a consortium that has made an approach to buy Cardiff City, reports @David_Ornstein 👀 pic.twitter.com/zrkliRvP3V
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) June 20, 2025
Ultimately, he chose to join MLS outfit Los Angeles FC instead.
More recently, reports from early June suggested Bale was also involved in a separate US-based consortium exploring a takeover of another League One club, Plymouth Argyle.
