Gareth Bale has put forward a £40 million offer to purchase his cherished hometown club, Cardiff City. A group spearheaded by Bale has been seeking to acquire a football team, having previously attempted a takeover of Plymouth Argyle, which ultimately did not succeed. The current owner of Cardiff, Vincent Tan, who lives in Malaysia, is willing to sell the Welsh club that was demoted from the Championship to League One last May. According to The Times, discussions are ongoing between Cardiff and a private equity firm based in the US. Recently, as reported by The Sun, a formal bid has been made, which amounts to less than half of the £200 million Real Madrid paid Tottenham for Bale’s transfer in 2013. Bale publicly shared his aspirations for acquiring the League One club at the European premiere of F1: The Movie in London last June. Bale, age 35, expressed, “We have a keen interest in acquiring Cardiff.” It’s my local club where I was raised, and my uncle played for them once. Being part of an ownership team would be a dream fulfilled. I would be thrilled to contribute to the development of Cardiff and help elevate it to the Premier League where it rightly fits. Bale was born in Cardiff, Wales, in 1989, and his uncle, Chris Pike, was a notable striker for the Bluebirds until 1993. According to reports, Cardiff has turned down an initial bid from the consortium led by Bale, though the amount has not been disclosed. Cardiff City has played in the Premier League twice, in the 2013-14 and 2018-19 seasons, and it is the only club outside of England to have won the FA Cup, achieving this in 1927. Additionally, they have competed in three more cup finals in English football: the 1925 FA Cup final against Sheffield United, the 2008 FA Cup final against Portsmouth, and the 2012 Football League Cup final against Liverpool, but unfortunately lost all three.
