Reports indicate Real Madrid could sell Gareth Bale despite Ancelotti's desire to keep him

Rumors have been linking Chelsea to Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale for most of the past few months, and on Saturday, The Daily Mail published a new report suggesting that the Spanish club could be willing to part with Bale this summer despite the wishes of their current manager. Here's what they had to say about the situation:

Sources in Spain suggest that the club could be willing to offload him [Bale] even though manager Carlo Ancelotti has said he wants the winger to remain at the club.

The complex politics at Madrid mean that Bale could be traded to help finance the inevitable signing of at least one platinum player during the summer and work within the parameters of Financial Fair Play.

Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus is one star being lined up, and Madrid may feel they need to find space for Isco in their first team, the player having recently expressed his frustration at being sidelined for much of the season.

The use of "sources in Spain" doesn't inspire a whole lot of confidence in the report, and neither does the FFP reasoning involved. While Real could definitely decide to part ways with the Welshman due to the fans' jeering and opening minutes for others, complying with Financial Fair Play won't be a huge factor for the club unless they're planning multiple galactico type signings this summer.

That said, one thought I've been having lately with Jose Mourinho talking up some academy players is that the club would be able to make some huge signings like Bale and Paul Pogba, without having to sell top players to do so. The new commercial and television money should increase Chelsea's spending power, while the academy could allow them to spend those new funds on the best of the best.

At this point, I'm not sure that I believe Bale is actually available, but I doubted that Madrid were actually shopping Mezut Ozil or Angel di Maria either. If I'm working and Bale is actually on the market, Chelsea had better be interested.