Gareth Bale's future at Real Madrid has been plunged into further doubt after he was left out of a 24-man squad for their Champions League last-16 second leg against Manchester City.
The Wales forward, 31, has endured a difficult relationship with manager Zinedine Zidane during his time in Spain and came close to a big-money move to the Chinese Super League last summer.
He did not play a single minute of Real's final six LaLiga matches as they pipped Barcelona to the title, and was left out of the squad for the final game of the season.
But his omission for the trip to Etihad Stadium is still a shock given that 24 players could be named, and Madrid need to overturn a 2-1 deficit having lost the first leg back in February.
Bale's odds on being a Real player at the end of the current transfer window remain at 1/8, with no club yet emerging that would be able to match the wages he currently earns, let alone afford to buy him.
His summer move to China collapsed at the last moment when Madrid demanded a transfer fee, which unsurprisingly was not forthcoming for a 31-year-old who is currently paid a reported £350k per week.
Since his €100m move from Tottenham in 2013, a world record at the time, Bale has scored 105 goals in 247 appearances and lifted 13 major honours with the club.
In the current financial climate it seems increasingly unlikely that he will find a new home, but for someone who almost single-handedly won two Champions League finals for Real it seems sad that he is becoming such a pariah.
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