Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan has said Gareth Bale really wanted to come to Cardiff City, but that the offer from LAFC was too attractive for him to turn down.

Bale had long been linked with a move to the Championship and the Welsh capital this summer as he sought a new club to play at and prepare for the Qatar World Cup this winter, for which Wales have qualified.

However, the dream was put to an end over the weekend as the Welshman opted to join MLS side Los Angeles FC.

Now, Bluebirds' owner Vincent Tan has opened up on the saga.

"We were very very keen, he would have been a big coup for us." Tan told talkSPORT, via WalesOnline.

"It would have been great for Gareth Bale to play for his hometown, all the Welsh would be very happy if Gareth Bale returned home and played for Cardiff.

"Personally, I think LAFC's offer was too attractive for him to turn down. But originally he really wanted to come, the money wasn't the matter.

"We came up with what we thought was a good offer to him, but finally it was very hard to compete when there is a lot of big American advertisers, a lot of commercial deals which were very good for Gareth Bale.

"We tried our best but we failed."

Gareth Bale was available on a free transfer this summer following his exit from Real Madrid where things soured towards the end.

Tan says that despite Bale not joining the club now, he hopes the club could see him line up for them in the future.

"Initially with Gareth, it wasn't really the money, he just wanted to help Cardiff and help Wales. That's why we could negotiate with him. He tried his best to join us but eventually I think the offer from LAFC was just too big to turn down." Tan continued.

"His contract is for 12 months, lets see what happens. Maybe Gareth, by then, will probably want to come back and come home and serve his country, serve Cardiff, his hometown. He has never played in Cardiff, he and his family are fans of the club.

"So, hopefully, in 12 months' time, he is still young, he will only be 34, some players come back and play until they are 40 years old. So he has still got a few years he can play and hopefully he will come and play for Cardiff after this."

The Verdict

It does sound as though talk of Gareth Bale to Cardiff City was more than just transfer rumours.

Bale's visit to the Bluebirds training ground recently was first confirmation of that and Vincent Tan's comments only further that.

For now, though, Bale has opted for a different path, and it remains to be seen how long he will continue to play once the World Cup and his 12 month LA FC contract are behind him.

Maybe we will see him play for Cardiff City one day, maybe not. Only time will tell.