David Beckham's Inter Miami are set to rake in $50,000 (£40,000) from their MLS rivals Los Angeles FC after missing out on Gareth Bale.
The Welsh wizard was being courted by a whole host of top clubs after it was confirmed that his trophy-laden nine-year spell at Real Madrid would officially end this summer. But LAFC have beaten off stiff competition to land Bale on an initial one-year deal.
Snapping up Bale is a major coup for the club, who have not even had to use one of their designated player spots to bring the 32-year-old in. But they will have to shell out a small amount to compensate one of their MLS rivals for missing out on the five-time Champions League winner.
A new report from Diario AS claims that Beckham and Inter Miami had a strong interest in acquiring Bale's services for themselves and had placed the former Tottenham man on their 'Discovery List' this summer. As per the league's regulations, clubs can include up to seven players on their list after filing a claim of interest with the league. Now that Bale has put pen to paper with LAFC, his new club will have to pay the nominal sum to remove the winger from Inter Miami's list.
Although there had been some speculation that Bale could retire after ending his long association with Los Blancos, Bale was always likely to play on after Wales qualified for the World Cup, which is due to take place in Qatar later this year.
As well as interest from elsewhere in America and Europe, Bale was heavily linked with his hometown club, Cardiff City - and even met with Bluebirds boss Steve Morison for talks over a move as recently as last week.
Join the debate! Do you think Bale has made the right move? Let us know here.
But Bale will now be jetting off to the United States to join a side who are in the race for major honours. LAFC are currently sitting at the top of the league and have already made headlines this year by snaring Italian icon Giorgio Chiellini.
According to The Athletic, Bale made his decision after speaking with the club hierarchy and head coach Steve Cherundolo. The fact that the MLS season runs until October, with the play-offs and MLS Cup final all concluding in early November before the World Cup's big kick-off, has been described as "perfect" for Bale, who will look to become a first-team regular after making just five league appearances for Real Madrid last year.
Bale has agreed to a substantial pay cut to move to LA and will pocket just $1.6 million (£1.3 million) from his one-year deal, which also includes an 18 month option that would see him bag a designated player spot and significantly increase his salary if triggered.
