One of the other big transfer stories of the summer is the long-running rumour of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid. This story has been percolating for a year now. After going quiet earlier this summer, Marca and Real Madrid have really started to turn up the pressure on Spurs to sell the Premier League’s Player Of The Year.
According to Marca, Bale and his agent Jonathan Barnett met with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy last week, and Bale reportedly told Levy:
“You made me a promise. You promised me if we didn’t qualify for the Champions League and a good offer turned up you’d listen to it. Well that offer has arrived and I want to play for Real Madrid. So keep your word and negotiate”.
“I’m not interested in Manchester United or any other club. I only want to play for Real Madrid.”
The newspaper goes on to say that Bale’s agent has already negotiated a 6-year deal with the Spanish side worth between €9 and 10 million per season.
Real have made one formal offer for Bale of around €60 million, but that is well short of the valuation that Spurs has on the winger. Spurs reportedly are willing to sell Bale only if they receive the highest fee in British football. Which means at least £80 million and one pound more, in a bid to beat the fee Madrid paid Manchester United for Ronaldo in 2009.
There is no doubt that Spurs don’t want to sell bale. They used him staying to sign Paulinho this summer and to keep AVB away from PSG. But it appears that the player and/or his agent want to move to Madrid.
Daniel Levy is famous for his tough negotiating style, and he likes to take things right down to the wire on transfer deadline day. But Spurs cannot do that here. Of Bale goes, AVB will have £80m to bring on 3 or 4 world class players. With the Premier League season starting in a little over three weeks, Spurs need to get these new players identified, signed and brought in as soon as possible so they can get adjusted to the Premier League. They cannot be trying to do this all at the transfer deadline.
