Gareth Bale's proposed move to Jiangsu Suning has officially been called off after the Chinese Super League (CSL) club announced the signing of Croatian forward Ivan Santini on Monday.
CSL rules dictate that each club is limited to registering six foreign players over the course of the season, with four foreigners allowed on the team at any one time.
Santini's arrival from Belgian club Anderlecht means Jiangsu have filled their foreign quota. Brazilians Miranda and Alex Teixeira, and Italian striker Eder are already on the club's books.
Like Real Madrid's Bale, Santini is aged 30 and an attacker, although he enjoys nothing like the profile or reputation of the pacy Welshman. He is also highly unlikely to be earning a similar salary to the one Bale had reportedly agreed with Jiangsu, which would have earned the former Tottenham Hotspur star £1 million (Dh4.55m) per week for the next three years.
With the Chinese transfer window closing on Wednesday, Jiangsu moved for Santini, saying: "He will greatly enrich the team's offensive tactics in the Chinese Super League."
It comes a day after Bale's move to China collapsed because of wrangling between Real Madrid and Jiangsu over the transfer fee. The introduction of a 100 per cent tax on transfer fees spent on overseas players - introduced to help pump money back into Chinese football - has limited many clubs from spending the exorbitant amounts that became common in 2017.
With Jiangsu unwilling to pay a significant transfer fee - and Real Madrid keen to recoup something of the then world record £85m they spent on Bale in 2013 - Madrid president Florentino Perez called off the deal.
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Gareth Bale's nine biggest moments for Real Madrid
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September 2013: Villarreal v Real Madrid – debut goal. After the start to his Real Madrid career was disrupted by injury, Gareth Bale scored his first goal for his new club against Villarreal in a La Liga game at El Madrigal Stadium. Getty -
November 2013: Real Madrid v Real Valldolid – the perfect hat-trick. Bale started to realise the demands of Real Madrid fans after being criticised for his display in the Clasico defeat to Barcelona in October. He responded by going on a red-hot run of goalscoring form, which included his first Madrid treble in a 4-0 win over Valladolid. It was a perfect hat-trick, too: left foot, right foot, header. Getty -
April 2014: Real Madrid v Barcelona - Copa del Rey final winner. The crowning moment of Bale’s debut season at Real Madrid. With the score level at 1-1, Bale scored one of the greatest goals in Spanish football history, burning Barcelona defender Marc Bartra for pace, sprinting half the pitch, before sliding the ball home for an 85th minute winner. Getty -
May 2014: Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid - Champions League final goal. Bale stepped up once again on the biggest of stages. After the Champions League final seemed to be heading to penalties, Bale scored to give Real Madrid a 2-1 lead in extra time. Real went on to win 4-1 and claim their 10th European Cup. Getty -
December 2014: Real Madrid v San Lorenzo - Club World Cup final goal. In a season blighted by more injury problems, Bale scored in his third major final for Real Madrid, netting the second in a 2-0 win over San Lorenzo to win the Fifa Club World Cup. Getty -
December 2015: Real Madrid v Rayo Vallecano - four-goal haul. Bale produced the most prolific performance of his Real Madrid career when he scored four goals in a 10-2 thrashing of Rayo Vallecano in La Liga. Three weeks later, he scored another hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Deportivo. Getty -
May 2018: Real Madrid v Liverpool - Champions League final match-winner. Bale was finding himself increasingly marginalised by Zidane and was among the substitutes for the Champions League final against Liverpool. Called off the bench with the score at 1-1, Bale scored one of the greatest goals in Champions League history with a spectacular overhead kick. He scored again to steer Madrid to a 3-1 win and their third successive European Cup. Getty -
December 2018: Fifa Club World Cup - player of the tournament. After the exit of Zidane, Bale resumed a more important role under eventual successor Santiago Solari and was central to Madrid’s Club World Cup triumph in Abu Dhabi. He scored a hat-trick in the semi-final against Kashima Antlers before Madrid beat Al Ain in the final. He was named player of the tournament. Getty -
February 2019: Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid - 100th goal. On February 9, 2019 Bale became just the 15th player in Real Madrid’s history to score 100 goals for the club when he struck in a 3-1 win away to city rivals Atletico. Bale has since moved on to 102 goals, placing him 14th on Madrid’s all-time list. Getty
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As a result, media reports on Monday claim Bale has been left unhappy with Perez as the Welsh forward has no interest in any other move. Indeed, interest in Bale from Europe's top clubs as been minimal due to his expected wage demands, age, and recent injury record.
Real manager Zinedine Zidane has made no secret of his wish to get rid of Bale and said he thought it would be "best for everyone" if his departure could be arranged quickly.
Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett, described Zidane as a "disgrace" for being "disrespectful" of a player who helped the side to a Spanish league title and four Champions Leagues since arriving from Tottenham six years ago.
While Zidane has no plans for Bale, the forward has been involved on Madrid's pre-season, scoring in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal and coming off the bench in the 7-3 defeat to rivals Atletico Madrid.
However, injuries have limited Bale to fewer than 80 starts in La Liga in the last four seasons. He has also been the subject of criticism in the Spanish media for his struggles with the language, and for the amount of time he spent on the golf course.
