A report in the Daily Mail has revealed that Tottenham came much closer than previously thought to re-signing Gareth Bale this month, but were eventually forced to abandon their chase late in the window.
The Times reported on Thursday that Spurs were attempting to bring Bale back to North London but reports this morning revealed that the deal was unlikely to be completed (BBC Sport).
The Mail have now revealed that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy was serious about signing the Welsh superstar and even sent representatives to Spain in an effort to somehow push the deal through.
In order to get around the 30-year-old’s mammoth £600,000-per-week wages, it is reported that Spurs floated an option to pay Real a fee of around £45million for Bale, which would then be paid directly back to the Welshman.
The Lilywhites then wanted to pay the shortfall in his £31 million salary over a two-and-half-year deal.
However, the finances attached to the deal reportedly proved too problematic thus forcing Spurs to abandon the transfer.
Spurs Web Opinion
Even if this is true, this hardly shows Levy or the club in a positive light for leaving the deal so late. It feels as if Levy attempts one big deadline day transfer every window and it almost never comes off. Perhaps, it is time for the club to start acting with a bit more urgency as this strategy of waiting till the last moment for the right deal certainly hasn’t been working for us.
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