Gareth Bale confirms LAFC move after leaving Real Madrid on free transfer

Gareth Bale has agreed to join Major League Soccer (MLS) club Los Angeles FC (LAFC).

Bale had offers from other clubs too but the Welsh forward chose a move to California, according to Sky Sports. Having left Real Madrid as a free agent, Bale is set to join LAFC on a one-year deal.

"See you soon, Los Angeles," Bale wrote in a tweet and confirmed the news. The tweet was shared by the official account of LAFC as well.

The deal is expected to be completed via targeted allocation money (TAM), leaving the club with an open designated player slot, according to ESPN. Bale would be eligible to play for LAFC when the MLS transfer window opens July 7, meaning he could first feature against rival Los Angeles Galaxy at home the following day.

Bale will fly out at the end of the week after a short break, as per ESPN's report that also claimed that the contract will include an option to extend by another year.

Ahead of the 2022-23 season, LAFA have also signed veteran Italy and Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini.

One of the reasons behind Bale's move to MLS could be being able to play regularly as he is looking to maintain his fitness ahead of FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. Wales qualified for the multi-nation event last month after beating Ukraine in their World Cup play-off final in Cardiff with Bale's free-kick waggled home by Andriy Yarmolenko in the only goal of the game.

Bale spent eight seasons at Real Madrid, winning many silverwares, including five Champions League trophies and three La Liga titles. He moved from Tottenham Hotspur to Madrid at $106 million in the summer of 2013 and immediately established himself as a regular member of the Los Blancos' squad. He finished his career at Santiago Bernabeu with 106 goals and 67 assists in 258 appearances.

Out of the 106 goals, 80 came in La Liga and 17 in the Champions League. Unfortunately, his final campaign with Real Madrid was marred with injuries as the former Spurs forward managed just seven appearances, starting four of them.