Gareth Bale has not given up on his Real Madrid career as he believes that he can outlast boss Zinedine Zidane, according to a report.
The Welshman appeared to be on the brink of quitting the Bernabeu this week, only for his proposed move to Chinese club Jiangsu Suning to fall through.
Madrid chiefs are rumoured to have pulled the plug on the move against the wishes of boss Zidane, who has publicly admitted that Bale is not part of his plans.
According to the Evening Standard, though, the 30-year-old has hope that Zidane's second tenure at Madrid will not last long, giving him a route back into the first team.
Tension between Zidane and president Florentino Perez is said to have increased after marquee signing Eden Hazard, whom the Frenchman pushed hard to sign, turned up for pre-season training significantly overweight.