Agent confirms talks, says Tottenham ‘is where Bale wants to be’
Bale #Bale
Gareth Bale to Tottenham Hotspur: Bale’s appears to be imminent, with agent Jonathan Barnett confirming transfer talks are being held as the 31-year-old prepares to leave Real Madrid.
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“Gareth still loves Spurs. We are talking. It is where he wants to be.”
That’s about as straightforward as one can be when it comes to transfer speculation. As for further speculation, reports claim Bale will initially move to Tottenham on loan with Madrid paying half of his wages for the final 22 months of his contract. Some reports claim Dele Alli will either be loaned or sold to Madrid as part of the deal.
It’s been a rocky few years for Bale at Madrid, where he has won four UEFA Champions League and two La Liga titles along with a lone Copa del Rey. Things began turning south when then-manager (and now current manager, again) Zinedine Zidane began phasing Bale out of his current and future plans. The Welshman has hardly played, and had virtually zero impact, since Zidane returned in March of 2019.
Bale left Spurs in the summer of 2013, for a then-world-record fee of $110 million, after one of the greatest single seasons in PL history, when he scored 21 goals and almost singlehandedly dragged Spurs to within a point of Champions League qualification.
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Recent reports had linked Bale with a PL move, though Manchester United was thought to be his likeliest destination as a backup option to prized target Jadon Sancho.
Spurs are said to have made contact with Bale’s representatives, as well as Madrid, early this week. The deal appears to have come together rather quickly, facilitated by Bale’s acceptance that not only is he finished at Madrid, but he might have to be loaned out initially in order to leave the club. Bale has previously been adamant that he would not go out on loan, insisting he would only move on a permanent transfer.
Agent confirms talks, says Tottenham ‘is where Bale wants to be’ originally appeared on NBCSports.com