Jonathan Barnett has told Sky Sports News that Gareth Bale and his family were ready to leave Madrid and join Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Suning - and says that reports claiming Bale's family stopped the deal are "completely false".

Jiangsu Suning signed Croatian striker Ivan Santini on July 29, all but ending the possibility of Gareth Bale joining the club.

"Any stories suggesting that Gareth or his family were the reason the deal did not take place are completely false," Barnett told Sky Sports News.

Marca in Madrid reported yesterday that Bale's family blocked the move to China, telling his representatives to look to join other clubs in Europe.

Other reports suggest Real President Florentino Perez changed his mind at the last minute before telling Jiangsu Suning they could not have Bale for free.

Any potential for the deal to be resurrected before Wednesday's closure of the CSL window ended when Suning signed Santini from Anderlecht - taking up the foreign player spot previously held back for Bale.