The story appears on

Page A16

September 17, 2020

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

HomeSportsSoccer

Mourinho coy on Spurs鈥 Bale bid

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho refused to confirm yesterday whether the north London club was in talks to resign Gareth Bale from Real Madrid but said he tried to sign him when the winger was still a Spurs player.

Bale鈥檚 agent said on Tuesday that both clubs and the Welshman鈥檚 camp were discussing a potential arrangement which would see the 31-year-old return to the English Premier League after seven years with the Spanish champion.

Mourinho said he tried to sign Bale when he was in charge of Real from 2010 to 2013. The Wales international was also regularly linked with a move to Manchester United when Mourinho was at the helm at Old Trafford.

鈥淕areth Bale is a Real Madrid player and I don鈥檛 talk about players from other clubs,鈥 Mourinho told reporters ahead of today鈥檚 Europa League qualifier against Bulgarian side Lokomotiv Plovdiv.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not my job to have contact with agents and I don鈥檛 want to comment. I don鈥檛 comment on hypothetical stuff.

鈥淚 tried to sign him during my time at Real Madrid and the president followed my instinct and knowledge and the season I left, he brought Gareth to the club. That鈥檚 no secret and Gareth knows that.鈥

Bale had said earlier this month that he would be open to a move back to the EPL if Real sanctioned a transfer.

Bale鈥檚 agent Jonathan Barnett said yesterday that the Welshman was 鈥渃lose鈥 to sealing a move to Spurs but the deal is 鈥渃omplicated.鈥

Bale has been frozen out by Real manager Zinedine Zidane.

Manchester United has also expressed an interest in Bale but it sees him as a back-up option should it fail to agree a fee with Borussia Dortmund for England international Jadon Sancho.

That has left Spurs in pole position to sign the player who left the club for a then world-record fee of 85 million pounds (US$132 million) in 2013.

When asked about Tottenham鈥檚 move for Bale, Barnett said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 close but not done,鈥 adding 鈥渋t鈥檚 a complicated deal.鈥

Bale has two years left on a contract that pays him around 30 million euros (US$35.52 million) a year at Real.

Real is pushing for a permanent transfer that could see Spurs pay next to nothing up front for the 31-year-old, with various performance-related bonuses added on.

Spurs would prefer a loan move that involves Real covering a portion of the player鈥檚 wages.

鈥淣o problems, the clubs are negotiating,鈥 added Barnett.

Bale has won the UEFA Champions League four times and two La Liga titles during his time in Spain, but his turbulent relationship with Zidane has seen his role significantly reduced in recent years.

Spurs have also been linked with Real left back Sergio Reguilon, with British media reporting the 23-year-old Spain international is set to make the switch for 30 million euros.

Mourinho added that he has informed club chairman Daniel Levy about his transfer plans 鈥渢hree or four times鈥 and that players could also leave Spurs before the transfer window closes on October 5.

鈥淎 squad is a puzzle and when a new signing completes the puzzle it鈥檚 great for the team,鈥 the Portuguese manager added.

鈥淭hree more weeks, the market is open both ways. I think in football you have to be always waiting for something to happen. Let鈥檚 see what happens to us. I never liked to start the competition with an open transfer window.鈥


 

Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

娌叕缃戝畨澶 31010602000204鍙

Email this to your friend