José Mourinho to open Spurs escape hatch for Gareth Bale
After the appointment of the Portuguese manager at Tottenhman Hotspur, thoughts have already turned to which players may be attracted.
The arrival of José Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspur, replacing Mauricio Pocchetino, is the first step of Daniel Levy's plan to take the club to the next level. And despite already having an impressive playing squad at his disposal, it appears that this could be the perfect escape route for Real Madrid's Gareth Bale.
Bale to Spurs: a solution for all
Los Blancos signed Bale from Tottenham in the summer of 2013 for 101 million euros, with eyes on him becoming the next great thing. Although he has shone in moments, it has never truly worked out for the winger. Now, the Portuguese boss intends to bring the Welshman back to London, although it will be after the conclusion of this season rather than in the January window. AS has learned that when Mourinho was considering a return to Madrid over the past weeks, before the upturn in results under Zidane, one of the reasons he was keen was that he saw players in the squad who could be revitalised with his methods, Bale getting particular mention.
The Welshman is an attractive addition for Mourinho and this is not new. The coach wanted him when he was at Manchester United, with the incident that occurred in the 2017 pre-season well known. Mourinho asked openly if Bale was available. In a friendly match for the International Champions Cup, the two men crossed paths with Mourinho whispering in the player's ear: "I can't buy you because you don't talk." Cameras captured the moment and the audio went viral. A few days later, Mourinho reiterated in a press conference his interest: "If Bale was at the exit door, I would fight for him, I would wait for him on the other side."
At that time Bale had just renewed for Real Madrid and had a contract until 2022. The transfer market was inflated and United would have had to pay an amount close to what Madrid paid. It was going on while Madrid tried to negotiate for hsi replacement in Kylian Mbappé. The French superstar's move never materialised, so Los Blancos kept faith, to some degree, in Bale.
Now, the conditions couldn't be better. Mourinho will want to revitalise his Tottenham side, and put his mark on it. He sees the possibility of signing Bale as a way to do it. The Welshman needs to get out of Madrid and a return to Spurs would put him in familiar surroundings, with a little less sun, but a lot more people speaking his language nearby. Zidane appears to have given up his contributions and Florentino Pérez could well sanction a cut-price transfer deal to remove a problem, and a large salary value.
When AS spoke to the player's agent, Jonathan Barnett, he stated that his client would not be leaving in the winter market. But, in summer we believe so.