Premier League fans should enjoy watching Gareth Bale light up the English game while they can. He could be off to Spain in the near future.
Bale will open talks with Real Madrid in the coming weeks, as the Spanish giant prepares to bid £40 million ($60.6 million) for the Tottenham Hotspur star in the summer. His contract contains a clause which allows him to meet with select clubs should they express an interest. Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are among the clubs which can gauge his interest in moving before making a formal transfer bid, according to the Star.
“Starsport understands that when Bale signed his new four-year deal at Spurs last summer, it was agreed he would be allowed to talk to a select group of named clubs if they showed interest,” the report claims.
“Real are one of those and are hoping to open a dialogue with Tottenham and the player in the next few weeks to set up one of the biggest deals of the close season.
“And the agreement to make Bale and his advisors aware of any interest from Europe’s biggest clubs leaves them vulnerable to a bid, even though Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy would be desperate to keep hold of his major asset.”
Bale, 23, is in the best form of his career, having scored eight goals in his last six games. Those feats have catapulted him into the running for both of England’s major player of the year awards, and fueled speculation about his future.
After Real Madrid bought Luka Modric from Tottenham last summer, the two clubs minted a formal relationship. Many specifics have not been made public, but it’s thought that the partnership gives Madrid the inside track when it comes to buying Spurs’ players. The Spanish club is reportedly resigned to selling Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, and Bale is the type of marquee signing that could soften the blow of losing the Portuguese superstar.
Tottenham currently sits third in the Premier League, and the chances of UEFA Champions League soccer coming to White Hart Lane next season are high. Securing a place in Europe’s elite competition would make Tottenham less likely to sell its star player, but it may not be enough to keep hold of him.
Bale’s form and interest from competing clubs could push his price tag over the £50 million ($75.8 million) mark, and the Welshman’s reported contract clause could see the likes of PSG, Manchester City and Madrid persuade him to don their colors when he faces Europe’s best teams.
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