Gareth Bale dashes Man Utd hopes by staying at Real Madrid

Wednesday's rumour mill concerns Welshman Gareth Bale and the 'will-he-won't-he' saga over his future at Real Madrid. The latest news isn't good for Manchester United.

Gareth Bale, whose £86m move to Madrid in September 2013 made him the highest priced footballer of all time, is going nowhere. That's the message from Real Madrid president Florentino Perez who has dampened speculation that the Welsh footballer could be heading back to England at the end of the season.

Talksport reports that the former Tottenham star has been linked with Manchester United in recent weeks after Real fans turned on him, but Perez is adamant Bale will stay at the Bernabeu. "We shall never listen to any offers for Bale," Perez told the Spanish daily Marca. "He is the key to the club's future, just as I cannot imagine a future without Cristiano Ronaldo."

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Another man going nowhere is Tottenham gloveman Hugo Lloris. In what it claims as an "exclusive", Metro says that contrary to rumours, the Frenchman "does not have a release clause in his contract". The news will come as a blow to the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United, both of whom had been linked with the 28-year-old keeper, after reports in the French media suggested he had a £14.5m release clause inserted into his Spurs deal, which could be triggered in June if the Lilywhites failed to qualify for the Champions League next season.

Talking of keepers, the agent of Fiorentina's Norberto Neto has warned Juventus that Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in his client. Neto is out of contract in July and has been linked with Juventus, but in conversation with Gazzetta TV, agent Stefano Castagna said: "There are many European clubs interested in Neto, for example Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain." Asked if they had made any decision as to Neto's future, Castagna said: "We have not made a definitive decision."

Former Chelsea frontman Kevin de Bruyne is once more being linked with a return to the Premier League, this time with Manchester City. According to the Daily Mirror, the 23-year-old "has blossomed into one of Europe's hottest properties" since he moved to Wolfsburg for £18m in January 2014. Apparently the Sky Blues are poised to make a move, though it's said they might have to pay twice what Wolfsburg paid Chelsea if they're to land de Bruyne.