New Gareth Bale, Cardiff City takeover twist emerges | OneFootball

The saga involving Gareth Bale's potential takeover of Cardiff City is not over just yet after the Welsh icon's failed high-profile bid last year

The previous summer saw considerable speculation generated surrounding a potential takeover of Cardiff City from ex-Wales and Real Madrid icon Gareth Bale following the Bluebirds' relegation to League One - and that saga could be set to re-open at some stage in a stunning new twist.

Bale, who hails from the Welsh capital and even came close to ending an illustrious playing career with his hometown club in the summer of 2022 before jetting off stateside to join Los Angeles FC, made little secret of his intention to pursue a takeover of Cardiff from divisive owner Vincent Tan last year.

A consortium led by the legendary Welshman even lodged a bid to take over the club, although this was swiftly knocked back.

Indeed, it has long been thought that Tan has little interest in selling Cardiff, whom he has owned since 2010, despite investing more than £200 million with mixed results and being at the centre of significant fan backlash in the wake of City's relegation from the Championship just over twelve months ago.

It appeared as though any possibility of Bale sealing a takeover - which the 36-year-old even described as a "dream come true" - had fallen apart as quickly as it had built up, leaving supporters to only ponder over what a future could look like under fresh ownership.

However, a year on and Bale has now re-emerged once more to reiterate his position on purchasing Cardiff in the future.

New Gareth Bale, Cardiff City takeover twist emerges

Cardiff find themselves back in the Championship after achieving a second-placed finish in League One under Brian Barry-Murphy, with rejuvenated positivity and optimism surrounding the Welsh outfit perhaps serving to ease pressure and scrutiny on Tan and his ownership of the club.

Bale, however, has made some significant moves of his own in that time, having recently launched his own sports investment fund named Juggernaut Diversified Sports, which aims to invest in teams and divisions across men's and women's sport with a focus on Europe and North America.

Despite Cardiff's swift return to the second-tier, many supporters would still welcome a change of ownership and the iconic presence of Bale at boardroom level, which, should the ex-winger get his wish, will be an eventual outcome.

It remains unclear exactly how or when Bale would really be able to complete a takeover, but he has refused to play down the possibility of re-intensifying his purchase efforts in the future.

Speaking to Front Office Sports, Bale explained that "there's those heartstrings that pull there" in regards to potentially taking over Cardiff.

He said: "It’s about being patient, finding the right club, and the right path for us to take.

"That doesn’t mean Cardiff is off the table. But I think now we have a bit of time, and will look around."

Vincent Tan may not sell Cardiff City anytime soon

For the time being, at least, the impression is very much that Tan is not willing to sell up at Cardiff quite just yet.

One must wonder whether that stance would've changed if the Bluebirds had not won promotion, further decreasing the club's value and sellability to prospective buyers, but they're now an attractive proposition once more with a host of high-value assets produced from an ever-burgeoning academy system and that only strengthens Tan's hand.

It means that he's surely going to be less open to giving up his position at this moment in time, and there's not quite the same degree of pressure and backlash towards the Malaysian businessman after a stellar season under Barry-Murphy in League One.