Gareth Bale has agreed to join MLS side Los Angeles FC on a one-year deal after leaving Real Madrid.
Bale joined Real Madrid from Tottenham for a then-world-record fee of £85.1m in 2013 before leaving as a free agent this summer.
Bale had other offers but has chosen to move to California and the MLS.
Sky Sports News’ Dharmesh Sheth said: “If we go back to just before that famous afternoon when Wales beat Ukraine in the World Cup Qualifiers, there was all sorts of speculation about Gareth Bale’s future.
“If Wales had failed to qualify for the World Cup, there was even talk that Bale would retire from football altogether.
“Then, when he did help Wales qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 64 years, there was even talk that he could join his hometown club, the club he supported as a boy in Cardiff City.
“He held talks with Cardiff City manager Steve Morrison about a potential move there and we were talking about a short-term deal to keep him fit leading into that World Cup in Qatar.
“But it looks like he’s chosen a one-year deal, some are even reporting there is a further option in that deal, to go Stateside with the MLS side LAFC.
“He will be in good company as well because the Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini is set to join LAFC as well.”
On Friday evening, LAFC tweeted about Bale’s potential arrival.
Sky Sports News’ Geraint Hughes said: “While Bale’s transfer to the US may come as a surprise to some. To those in the Wales set-up, this will not be a shock.
“It would have been a huge risk for Bale to take even a short contract to play in the Championship, the risk of being injured either through a mistimed tackle or just the attritional wear and tear of one of the toughest leagues in the world was, in my opinion, never on the cards.
“Take emotion out of Bale playing for Cardiff City prior to the World Cup and it did not become too much of a possibility.
“Even before the rumours of a move to Cardiff City started to gather some pace, a transfer to the MLS was already being mooted.
“Bale needs to get the balance of playing, getting match fit, while reducing the risk of injury and the MLS should provide that balance.
“It also gives Bale the perfect environment to get himself into the right shape to lead Wales at the World Cup come November.
“The climate in terms of weather in California will be ideal, but it is also an ideal climate for him and his family to live and work in a degree of anonymity.
“The irony of working for a club in Los Angeles, a city where showbiz reigns supreme, is that not too many people will bother Bale or necessarily even know who he is. He will enjoy not being the centre of attention.
“From Wales and Page’s perspective, this is a really good outcome. The workload on Bale is manageable, but it will also raise his fitness ahead of the World Cup.
“Wales have long had total trust in Bale’s ability to manage his own body; the 32-year-old is a fantastic athlete regardless of what you may have read or heard about his fitness.”
