Gareth Bale is nearing the Real Madrid exit door ... for real this time.
Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett, offered an update on the star forward's potential departure from Real Madrid to Tottenham Hotspur this week in interviews with The BBC and Sky Sports. Barnett confirmed to Sky Sports talks over a move in this transfer window are progressing slowly, but Bale's Tottenham move is "close."
"There's a long way to go on some issues, but without doubt Gareth is closer to leaving Madrid than at any time in last seven years," Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett, told Sky Sports News.
"The deal is complicated, but there's reason to believe a deal is close and things could move very quickly if discussions continue to go well."
Recent rumors claim Manchester United also is interested in acquiring Bale, but Barnett told The BBC on Tuesday Bale wants to rejoin Tottenham, the club that sold him to Real Madrid in 2013 for a record transfer fee.
"Gareth still loves Spurs," Barnett said. "It's where he wants to be."
Bale spent six seasons with Tottenham between 2007 and 2013. During that time he became a Premier League superstar, winning the PFA Players' Player of the Year award twice (in 2011 and 2013) and the PFA Young Player of the Year award (in 2013) and the FWA Footballer of the Year award (also in 2013).
Since joining Real Madrid in 2013, he has scored 105 and registered 68 assists in 251 games, helping Los Blancos win two La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions Leagues, three FIFA Club World Cups, two UEFA Super Cups and one Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup.
However, he has been at odds with Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane for much of the last four years, and the clubs fans often have singled him out for criticism during games.
Bale recently admitted he has tried to leave Real Madrid in the past and blames the club for preventing him from doing so. This time, however, seems different.
Bale's mammoth salary reportedly represents the biggest stumbling block in a potential return to Tottenham, as he's one of the sport's highest-paid players, and the contract extension he signed in 2016 won't expire until 2022. Real Madrid and Tottenham must agree to a deal, which would split his salary before the Oct. 5 transfer deadline for Premier League clubs.
If they do before then, Bale's return arguably would be the most significant Premier League transfer of the summer 2020 window.
Thumbnail photo via Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images
