Tottenham Hotspur non-executive director Sir Keith Mills has conceded the battle to keep Gareth Bale at Tottenham is all but lost.
Mills told the Evening Standard that a player who wants to go will likely make the move he wants.
"We very much want Bale to stay," Mills said. "If a player is desperate to leave, it's very difficult to force him to stay.
"We've seen it in other clubs. Even if he has a contract, you can't force somebody to play for you."
The Bale transfer saga has created a great deal of buzz around the world. Real Madrid has made a 100 million pound bid for the Welshman, a sum many disagree with. Among them is Brendan Rodgers, the coach of Liverpool. Rodgers told reporters a few days ago that the price was exorbitant and was not merited by the Welshman, despite his qualities as a player.
"Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez were arguably the two best players in the Premier League last season and you can't say Gareth Bale is valued at more than 100 percent more than Luis Suarez," Rodgers said. "Of course, every player will have a value but you only have to look at the market and £40 million and £1 for Suarez. Then Gareth Bale, they are talking about nine figures."
The tension has been most apparent between the two clubs as Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas recently blasted Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti for bringing up the transfer saga in an interview.
"Carlo is a person I appreciate a lot and we have great respect for each other, but bearing in mind this situation they have decided to make it public," said Villas-Boas, according to ESPN.com. "Normally in situations like this it is scrutinized by the Football Association with lots of care and attention. We have seen lots of people speak about a player that is not theirs and we are due some respect."