• Premier League

Spurs face £200,000 per week Bale deal

ESPN staff
May 21, 2013
Gareth Bale and Tottenham fell short in their bid for Champions League football © PA Photos
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Tottenham are keen to secure Gareth Bale's future before he departs for his summer break, but they are likely to have to pay the Wales international a reported £200,000 per week in order to keep him at the club.

Spurs missed out on Champions League football on the final day of the season, meaning Bale faces another year of watching Europe's best players compete while he settles for Europa League action.

The triple Footballer of the Year has made no secret of his desperation to return to the Champions League, and has also previously underlined his desire to experience football abroad. Those two factors make him an expected transfer target of Real Madrid and Barcelona this summer, while Manchester United have also been linked.

Tottenham believe they can keep their star man - who scored 26 goals this season - for at least another year, but the Daily Mail reports Bale will expect to be paid the same amount as the top players in the Premier League.

That would mean chairman Daniel Levy breaking with his wage structure to place Bale on around £200,000 per week - alongside the likes of Yaya Toure and Robin van Persie. The Welshman currently has three years left on a deal that pays in the region of £110,000 per week.

The Daily Mail quoted a Spurs source, who said: "The vital issue will be getting the Champions League out of Gareth's head before he commits for another season. That won't be easy."

Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas expects Bale to stay at White Hart Lane as the North London club attempt to mount a title challenge next season, saying on Sunday: "Yes, that's the information we have (that Bale will stay). It is very, very difficult to lure a player of this dimension away."

Levy has also vowed to keep the explosive attacker, saying in an official end-of-season statement: "Looking ahead to the summer, we shall continue to seek to strengthen and improve the team and to retain key players."

The timing of Bale's contract situation will be key, with Spurs keen not to be drawn into another Luka Modric-like saga, which saw the player leave on August 27 - less than a week before the end of the transfer window. Levy will attempt to secure Bale's future prior to his summer holiday, at which point he will expect a clear indication as to whether his loyalties remain in North London.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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