MADRID: Spanish giants Real Madrid have made a £85m bid for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Gareth Bale (pictured), according to a report on Skysports.com, yesterday.
According to Sky Sports, the offer has been on the table for more than a week, with the Welshman, who has reportedly expressed his intention to leave, becoming frustrated with the lack of activity.
Yesterday, the 24-year-old left Tottenham Hotspur’s training ground after reportedly telling manager Andre Villas-Boas of his desire to join Real Madrid, according to Sky Sports sources.
Bale spent around five hours at the club’s training base, during which time he is said to have informed Villas-Boas of his intentions amid mounting rumours about a lucrative move to Real Madrid in a possible world record transfer deal.
Villas-Boas said during the club’s pre-season visit to Hong Kong last week that they were in talks with the highly rated player, who scored 26 goals last season, about a new contract.
He said he was optimistic of reaching agreement on a deal but fuelled speculation that Bale would leave the club after saying that there was currently no agreement.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has also been reported as having set up a meeting with Real president Florentino Perez in Miami next week, where the Spanish club are due to play in a pre-season tournament, to broker a deal. Bale’s family were even said to have met Levy earlier this week to persuade him to allow the player to go, even though he has reportedly not submitted a formal transfer request.
The Daily Mirror claimed Levy was holding out for the best price for Bale and would be prepared to bring back Luka Modric, who left White Hart Lane for the Bernabeu last year in a similarly drawn-out transfer saga.
France legend and former Real player Zinedine Zidane, currently an ambassador for the Spanish capital club, was reported as saying: “If he (Bale) has expressed a desire to join Madrid, then Tottenham should give him permission to speak with us.
“The chance to play for Real Madrid might only come around once in a player’s lifetime -- and it’s understandable that Gareth doesn’t want to miss out on it.”
Real and Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas added that Bale would be welcomed as he was “one of the top three or four players in Europe”.
But former Tottenham star Glenn Hoddle suggested that Bale could be better served by staying in England and building on his impressive performance from last season.
“It’s one thing setting a standard, it’s keeping the standard which is the hardest thing, the consistency,” he said. AFP/THE PENINSULA
