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Bale 'close' to Tottenham return, says agent
Bale 'close' to Tottenham return, says agent

Bale 'close' to Tottenham return, says agent

Gareth Bale is “close” to sealing a sensational move back to Tottenham, the player's agent Jonathan Barnett said on Wednesday, seven years after joining the Spanish giants Real for a world record fee.
AFP
Nampa/AFP



Wales international Gareth Bale has been frozen out by Real manager Zinedine Zidane and said earlier this month he was open to returning to the Premier League.

Bale twice won Premier League Players' Player of the Year during his first spell at Tottenham, which saw him score 56 goals in 203 appearances and lure Madrid into paying a then world-record £85 million (N$1.87 billion) for his services.

When asked about Tottenham's move for Bale, Barnett told AFP: “It's close but not done.”

He added: “It's a complicated deal”.

Bale has two years left on a contract that pays him around 30 million euros (N$590.4 million) a year at Real Madrid.

Madrid are pushing for a permanent transfer, while Spurs would prefer a loan move that involves the Spanish champions covering a portion of the 31-year-old's wages.



Tried to sign him

According to reports in England, Tottenham are set to pay £13 million (N$280.9 million) of Bale's salary for a year-long loan.

Bale joined Madrid the summer Jose Mourinho left the Spanish giants, but the Tottenham manager said he had tried to sign him during his spell as Real boss.

“I 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,” Mourinho said in a press conference on Wednesday.

“That's no secret and Gareth knows that.”



Successful career

Bale has won the Champions League four times, scoring in the 2014 and 2018 final, and won two La Liga titles at Madrid, but his time at the club is largely viewed as an expensive failure in Spain.

Real president Florentino Perez's plan for Bale to take over the mantle as Madrid's talisman from Cristiano Ronaldo never materialised as his role has significantly reduced under Zidane since Ronaldo left the club two years ago.

Bale started just one match when the 2019/20 season resumed after the Covid-19 hiatus and caused a stir with his behaviour while he watched on in the stands.

The winger still has an emotional attachment to Tottenham after joining the club from Southampton as a teenager, where he developed from a left-back into one of the world's most exciting forwards.

Former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp, who managed Bale for four years at Tottenham, said he would bring “that little bit of magic” to Mourinho's side, who lost their first game of the Premier League season to Everton.

“It would be a fantastic signing for the club,” Redknapp told BBC Radio Wales.













“It would be great for Gareth to get back playing again. He's such a talent, such a great player. It's a waste to see him not playing.”



Bale's return to playing regularly in the Premier League would also be a boost for Wales manager Ryan Giggs, with Euro 2020 to come at the end of the season.

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Namibian Sun 2024-03-28

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Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 212.04/OZ UP +0.97% | Copper US$ 3.98/lb DOWN -0.0007 | Zinc US$ 2 449.90/T DOWN -0.27% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 87.11/BBP UP +0.84% | Platinum US$ 901.49/OZ UP +0.74% Sport results: Weather: Katima Mulilo: 19° | 37° Rundu: 17° | 33° Eenhana: 18° | 33° Oshakati: 20° | 31° Ruacana: 19° | 33° Tsumeb: 17° | 29° Otjiwarongo: 16° | 28° Omaruru: 18° | 31° Windhoek: 17° | 28° Gobabis: 17° | 28° Henties Bay: 16° | 19° Wind speed: 24km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 10:54, High tide: 04:57, Low Tide: 22:58, High tide: 17:16 Swakopmund: 15° | 17° Wind speed: 29km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 10:52, High tide: 04:55, Low Tide: 22:56, High tide: 17:14 Walvis Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 33km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 10:52, High tide: 04:54, Low Tide: 22:56, High tide: 17:13 Rehoboth: 18° | 29° Mariental: 22° | 32° Keetmanshoop: 21° | 34° Aranos: 21° | 31° Lüderitz: 15° | 29° Ariamsvlei: 23° | 34° Oranjemund: 15° | 21° Luanda: 27° | 30° Gaborone: 20° | 32° Lubumbashi: 17° | 24° Mbabane: 15° | 23° Maseru: 12° | 28° Antananarivo: 16° | 27° Lilongwe: 17° | 29° Maputo: 20° | 28° Windhoek: 17° | 28° Cape Town: 17° | 23° Durban: 21° | 25° Johannesburg: 18° | 28° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 32° Lusaka: 18° | 30° Harare: 15° | 31° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 23.93 | EUR to NAD 20.5 | CNY to NAD 2.62 | USD to NAD 18.98 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.33 | EGP to NAD 0.39 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.74 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.8 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.23 | USD to DZD 134.25 | USD to AOA 832.63 | USD to BWP 13.71 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1415.13 | USD to ZAR 18.99 | USD to ZMW 24.97 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 73909.5 Up +0.41% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1516.02 Down -0.13% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 12981.98 Up +0.34% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 28224.37 Down -2.87% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - 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