Rumour Mongering: Gareth Bale Tells Real Madrid to Buy Woodburn

Ben Woodburn may only be 17-years-old and on the fringes of Liverpool's first team, but that hasn't stopped Spain's Diario Gol from claiming that he could be a target for Real Madrid this summer. Or at least he could be if Welsh teammate Gareth Bale gets his way.

He may only have eight senior appearances under his belt this season, but supposedly, Bale has told Madrid they must move quickly or risk seeing domestic rivals Barcelona beat them to Liverpool's talented youngster. If, meanwhile, you're rolling your eyes at all this, that's probably a sound reaction.

Despite Woodburn's promise, he's had a chance at Liverpool this season in large part because of how thin Jürgen Klopp's squad is. Even around Anfield, the general consensus is that he's likely a few years away from being able to make a significant contribution at the club.

At Madrid, given the strength and depth of their squad and both their spending power and draw, picking up a player like Woodburn now would make very little sense, and it's almost certainly the case that the attacker isn't even on the club's radar.

Give it five years, and maybe, if Woodburn hits the heights Bale did at Tottenham, the likes of Madrid would be interested. And by that time, Liverpool will hope that they're regular title contenders in England and a mainstay in the Champions League and so would have a shot at holding on to him regardless.

In the meantime, Ben Woodburn won't be moving to Real Madrid. And Barcelona won't be beating them to his signature, either. No matter what a Spanish outlet of questionable repute claims Bale has said to Florentino Perez and the Madrid hierarchy.