By Neil Ashton
|
Gareth Bale's fate took a dramatic twist on Sunday night when Spurs chairman Daniel Levy cut short his holiday and flew to London for crunch talks with the ?85million-rated winger.
Levy had informal discussions with the Welshman during his brief trip to Hong Kong for the Barclays Asia Trophy last week. The chairman was scheduled to fly back to Florida to continue his family? holiday, but instead he travelled to London on Sunday to meet Bale after the winger touched down at Heathrow at 5am.
Bale has a strong relationship with staff and supporters at the club but he wants answers from Levy as Real Madrid prepare to test Tottenham with a world record bid.
VIDEO Scroll down to watch Real Madrid arrive in Los Angeles to start their USA tour
Touch down: Gareth Bale arrives at Heathrow Airport from Hong Kong in the early hours
Nothing to smile about: Bale, who may be subject of a world record ?85m bid from Real Madrid, clearly has a lot on his mind
On his way? Gareth bale is set for talks with Spurs over a world record ?85million move to Real Madrid
Crunch talks: Spurs chairman Daniel Lavy has cut short his family holiday to discuss Bale's future
New boss? New Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti wants Bale as his first marquee signing at the Bernabeu
TOP FIVE TRANSFER FEES
1 Cristiano Ronaldo, ?80million from Manchester United to Real Madrid (2009)?
2 Zlatan Ibrahimovic, ?56.5m from Inter Milan to Barcelona (2009)?
3 Kaka, ?56m AC Milan to Real Madrid (2009)?
4 Edinson Cavani, ?55m from Napoli to Paris St-Germain (2013)?
5 Radamel Falcao, ?53m from Atletico Madrid to Monaco (2013)
Levy insists he will not sell his star asset but Bale, 24, is demanding to know whether there has been any contact between Real and Spurs over his potential transfer to the Bernabeu.
Although he has not submitted a transfer request, it is now becoming a realistic option if he wants to pursue his ambition of playing for the world?s biggest team.
Real?s posturing has gone so far this summer that there is no turning back and they have little option but to make a written offer to Spurs. Many of Bale?s team-mates understand the lure of Real Madrid and expect him to leave if they match Spurs? valuation.
Touchline: Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas is desperate to keep hold of his key man
Dynamic duo: Bale thrived under Villas-Boas' management at White Hart Lane last season
PREMIER LEAGUE SLIPPING?
If Bale goes, the Premier League loses one of its star names, while these five have swerved England this summer...
Edinson Cavani ?55m
Chose Napoli despite strong interest from Chelsea and Manchester City.
Radamel Falcao ?53m
Opted for Monaco with Chelsea keen admirers, snubbing the Premier League for the French top flight.
Gonzalo Higuain ?32m
Was a key target for Arsene Wenger and was also linked to Liverpool in a swap deal for Luis Suarez but decided to join Napoli instead.
Thiago Alcantara ?22m
Wanted by David Moyes to strengthen central midfield, a weak area, at Manchester United but followed former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola to Bayern Munich.
Neymar ?50m
The most sought-after player in the world went to Barcelona without giving the Premier League a second glance.
Sam Cunningham
Bale missed both matches in the Asia Trophy with a gluteal injury and flew back from Hong Kong on Sunday night with the team. Spurs arrived in London early on Monday morning and have been given two days off by coach Andre Villas-Boas.
The PFA Player of the Year stopped to sign autographs as he boarded the team bus for the airport, but TV images appeared to show him looking miserable. He is due to return to training on Wednesday and is expected to be fit for Saturday?s friendly against Claudio Ranieri?s Monaco.
Spurs have told Bale to outline his salary demands as they open talks over a new contract extension but he is determined to get answers this week. He has three years left on a deal signed in 2012 which does not contain a release clause.
Levy is adamant that Bale, who scored 21 goals in the Premier League last season, will not be? leaving this summer but despite that, there is a belief at White Hart Lane that a world record bid would change everything.
Real paid ?80m to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United in 2009 and Madrid president Florentino Perez, who has made it clear he wants the Wales flyer, will have to offer around ?85m for Levy to twitch.
The Spanish club may try to offer a lower cash sum, perhaps ?60m, plus players they know Spurs admire such as Argentina winger Angel di Maria and Portugal left back Fabio Coentrao, but that sort of exchange is sure to complicate negotiations.
World Record: Any deal for Bale would eclipse the fee Real paid for star man Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009?
It has also emerged that despite long-standing interest from Manchester United, Bale will only consider moving to the Bernabeu at this stage of his career.
Although Spurs are banking on his excellent relationship with Villas-Boas and his settled homelife, his agent?s company has an apartment in Marbella and Bale often spends time there when he is recovering from injury.
Real?s pursuit of Bale is so far advanced that they have already concluded background checks on the financial aspects of a deal, notably contractual obligations between Tottenham and Bale?s first club Southampton.
Holding his hands up: Bale will only consider moving to Real Madrid at this stage, not Manchester United
When Spurs signed Bale, they agreed to a 15 per cent sell-on clause. Although that was bought out by Spurs for ?1.5m during a financial crisis at St Mary?s in 2007, FIFA solidarity clauses add to the complexity of their proposed bid.
Any club developing homegrown players between the age of 12 and 23 are entitled to up to five per cent of the transfer fee if the player subsequently moves to another team. Because Bale was on Southampton?s books between the ages of 12 and 17, they will be entitled to a mini windfall on a pro-rata basis of around ?2m.
Bale is on around ?80,000 a week at the moment and if he agrees an improved contract that will burst through their famous pay ceiling, Spurs will justify it because of his commercial importance to the club.
On his way: The Spanish media are clearly excited by the potential arrival of the Welsh winger, with sports paper AS even crediting 'Daily Mail' reports on their front page
Development: Southampton are set to recieve some of Bale's transfer fee for bringing him through
The player is plastered all over promotional material and the club will use that to justify a contract offer in excess of ?150,000 a week.
That may still not be enough to keep him as Real continue their seduction campaign with the player?s agent.
Bale played in Tottenham?s pre-season opener at Swindon and scored in the 1-1 draw but was said to be injured when he missed the draw at Colchester a few days before they left for Hong Kong.
Although many suspect the gluteal injury that kept him on the sidelines was ?diplomatic?, it is understood the problem is genuine. Bale was frustrated as he travelled halfway around the world with his team and wanted to play in both tune-up games during their stay.
Spurs made an improved bid of ?23m for Valencia forward Roberto Soldado over the weekend, with technical director Franco Baldini attempting to clinch the deal. Spurs were offered the 28-year-old for ?15m in January but overlooked a player who went on to score 24 goals in La Liga. Soldado, who is rated at ?26m, has 11 caps for Spain, scoring six goals.
Poster boy: Bale is a valuable marketing tool for Spurs, with this poster in Times Square, New York
?
Share or comment on this article
MOST WATCHED SPORT VIDEOS
Nicole Murphy Riley Keough Franz Kafka Homer Bailey Being Mary Jane Kate Stoltzfus Sloane Stephens
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.