Real Madrid is used to getting what it wants. It even pays top dollar to make it happen.
Gareth Bale is the man of the moment, and Real Madrid is chasing him in earnest. The Spanish soccer giant has made a formal transfer offer to Bale’s club, Tottenham Hotspur. If Spurs accept the fee and the transfer is completed, Bale would become the most expensive signing in history, according to Sky Sports.
“Real Madrid have made a world record bid of over £85 million [$130 million] to Tottenham for Gareth Bale,” the report says. “The bid has been on the table for over a week and Bale is aware of it and is becoming more frustrated with the situation.”
Bale won both of England’s major Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards last season. He scored 21 Premier League goals, leading Tottenham to a fifth-place finish and a place in this season’s UEFA Europa League.
The 24-year-old has been a Real Madrid target for over a year, but the Spanish club has finally turned that interest into a genuine pursuit. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has reportedly refused to consider the recent offer, saying that Bale is not for sale at any price. Reports in the Spanish media claim Levy will only consider selling Bale for a fee which exceeds £100 million ($152 million).
Bale has not publicly expressed a desire to leave Tottenham, but he wants permission to speak with Real Madrid, according to the Guardian. Manchester United is expected to pursue Bale as well, and the player could be interested in a move to Old Trafford. Whether United has the financial firepower to compete with Real Madrid (or other potential suitors) remains to be seen, but the Spanish club is ready to smash the transfer record — which it set in 2009 by paying United £80 million for Cristiano Ronaldo — right now.
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