Southampton would pull off an 'amazing' signing if they managed to seal Gareth Bale's return to St Mary's in the summer, according to The Sun journalist Tom Barclay.

Bale left Saints for Tottenham Hotspur close to 15 years ago, with the deal being worth up to £10million, and it appears a return to the south coast may not be out of the realms of possibility.

What's the latest news involving Bale?

Bale is set to leave Real Madrid at the end of the season, with his £528,000-per-week contract due to expire in the summer.

It has led to claims that this could be his final campaign at club level, with retirement understood to be a possibility.

But, according to Spanish sources, a return to Southampton could be on the cards as Dragan Solak made enquiries just a matter of days after completing his takeover of the Premier League outfit.

Bale fuelled speculation of a switch to Championship side Cardiff City being in the offing after a conversation with Bluebirds boss Steve Morison surfaced.

Respected Italian journalist Rudy Galetti has revealed AC Milan technical director Paolo Maldini has requested talks with Bale, while it was reported in February that the attacker has already agreed to head back to Tottenham in the summer.

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What has Tom Barclay said about Bale?

Barclay has doubts over whether Bale will retire from club football at the end of his Real Madrid stint, particularly with a potential trip to the World Cup on the horizon.

The journalist feels the 102-cap Wales international would be an eye-catching capture by Southampton chief Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Barclay told GIVEMESPORT: "It would be amazing if he did join - what a signing.

"When you start thinking about Bale, it does feel like if Wales go to the World Cup, that could be very dependent on it.

"We're all speculating and only Bale knows whether he wants to carry on but, presumably, he'd want to play in that World Cup and he can't just not play ahead of that."

Why would Bale be of interest to Southampton?

Although Bale has been the subject of widespread criticism from the Spanish media, leading to him launching a furious tirade, there is no doubting that he could still make a huge impact at Southampton.

He has scored 183 goals and recorded a further 140 assists over the course of a trophy-laden club career.

The 32-year-old also cost Real Madrid a then-world record fee of £85.3million when they completed his switch from Tottenham in 2013, so sealing Bale's return to St Mary's on a free transfer would be seen by many as a bargain.