" Gareth Bale in talks to sign for Premier League club "

BBC



Tottenham Hotspur are in talks to re-sign Gareth Bale from Real Madrid.

The Wales forward, 31, left Spurs to join Real for a then world record fee of £85m in 2013 and went on to score more than 100 goals and win four Champions League titles for the club.

But having lost his place in the team and become an increasingly peripheral figure at the Bernabeu, Bale has spoken of his desire to leave.

"Gareth still loves Spurs," his agent Jonathan Barnett told BBC Sport Wales.

"We are talking [Spurs, Real and Bale's camp]. It's where he wants to be."

Spurs are also closing in on a deal to sign Real left-back Sergio Reguilon, who had been a target for Manchester United.

Where Bale is concerned, a loan looks likeliest at the moment, though a permanent transfer has not been ruled out, with Real keen to recover costs as they look to offload their highest earner.

Bale's salary is perhaps the biggest hurdle for Spurs to overcome, and he still has two years left on his contract which is thought to be worth around £600,000 per week.

Manchester United have also long been linked with Bale, who is still viewed in Old Trafford as a potential transfer target should they fail to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.

Tottenham, however, have the additional emotional pull for the player they signed as a 17-year-old from Southampton in 2007 and helped develop into one of the world's best players.

Bale was hugely successful in his first few seasons at Real, scoring in the 2014 and 2018 Champions League finals as well as the 2014 Copa Del Rey final.

But his star has faded in the past couple of years after a run of injuries, indifferent form and a fractious relationship with manager Zinedine Zidane.

Bale started just one match when the 2019-20 La Liga season resumed, playing a mere 100 minutes as Real clinched a first title since 2017, where he was conspicuously on the fringes of the team's celebrations.

Oi!!! Gaggsy mate as a proud Welshman and a multi millionaire, come to the Blooooooobirds or retire and play golf.

Simples

Would be good for wales. He looked well off the pace last weekend.

Jose

Bale's salary is perhaps the biggest hurdle for Spurs to overcome - he still has two years left on a contract which is thought to be worth about £600,000 a week.

Jose

Jose would be good for him, would love to see Bale back, he would light up the Premier League.

Oh dear I guess I will have to support spurs now as my second team if this happens Spurs are one of the few teams in the premier that I don't like

Gareth Bale is waiting in Madrid for green light to fly to London on his private jet to sign for Spurs. Wants to come home to Spurs. Lawyers drawing up contracts. Progress slow but all parties confident deal will be agreed. Will take Bale month to be fully fit & back to his best

Jose

Jose would be good for him, would love to see Bale back, he would light up the Premier League.