Gareth Bale will discuss his future with Real Madrid this summer with the forward seeking assurances over the amount of game-time he will get next season, according to his agent.

The Welshman is in high demand having strongly intimated that he wishes to leave the European champions in pursuit of more playing time.

Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett has done nothing to allay those rumours, which could lead to the 28-year-old lining up back in the Premier League next season.

Barnett told Sky Sports News: “I think he is in the top three or four players on earth, so for somebody like him, he wants to play.

“It’s not about money and not about anything else. He wants to play and wants to win the Ballon d’Or, and I think he is capable of doing it.

“I think we have to have a chat with Real Madrid and see where we are going. Obviously he wants a better year than he had last year. He wants to play more, and that’s paramount to him.”

Bale came off the bench to score a stunning goal which sunk Liverpool in the Champions League final last month but afterwards revealed his frustration at being named as a substitute.

And Barnett believes Bale’s match-winning performance will have led even more top clubs to consider launching a bid for his services.

“I think it elevated interest in him,” added Barnett. “We know how good he is. He has proven that. He has nothing to prove.

“Obviously a goal like that is going to elevate everybody. It was a magnificent goal and I think the timing was pretty good as well.”

Bale was often sidelined by former Real coach Zinedine Zidane, but will seek to learn where he fits in the plans of Zidane’s replacement Julen Lopetegui.