Unless there is a drastic change in the situation, it appears Gareth Bale will be returning to Real Madrid from Tottenham this summer.
The forward has been in fine form for Spurs over the last few weeks, and that has sparked suggestions, and optimism in Spain, that they might make his return a permanent one.
Bale put something of an end to those suggestions today when he revealed he plans to return to Real Madrid and see out the final year of his current deal with the club.
His comments were something of a bombshell, particularly at Tottenham, where, as we’ve said, they were perhaps starting to think about a permanent deal.
They report that Madrid had ‘expected’ that Tottenham would ‘exert the purchase’ on Bale, but those hopes are ‘beginning to fade’ after Spurs ‘have not given signs of life’ in that regard.
Bale’s words have also been another blow, with it now looking like he will be returning to the Spanish capital.
The newspaper explain that the biggest issue is Bale’s wages, which are currently €17m a year and that always made a deal ‘very difficult’ for Tottenham, who needed him to lower his wages.
That is something Bale is not willing to do, with both clubs having received the same messages from the player in that regard; he does not want to ‘forgive a Euro’ of the deal he signed in 2016.
This could all be a way to pressure Real Madrid into offering to subsidise his wages if he’s at Tottenham next year, but the Spanish media haven’t gone through that thought process yet.
