Real Madrid's acquisition of Gareth Bale is looking more and more likely.
"Real Madrid are very confident of signing Gareth Bale this summer, despite apparent recent complications, sources close to the Spanish club have told ESPN," writes the publication.
The team has offered 100 million euros to Bale's Tottenham Hotspur but has yet to receive an answer from the English team. The uncertainty has seemingly aggravated Real Madrid's upper executives, including President Florentino Perez.
"We talk with lots of people and we will see what happens in all our negotiations, with this player [Bale] and with others," Perez said on Thursday about negotiations for the Welshman. "We do not usually talk about other players out of respect to the player, the club and the president, with whom I made a good friendship last season during the signing of Luka Modric.
"If I do not talk about names, I do not talk about money. [But] €100 million seems a lot to me, a lot for everything. I do not talk about players nor money because I should not and cannot, out of respect."
Other reports indicate that the price for Real Madrid will exceed the 100 million euros referenced by Perez. ESPN writes, "Bale would be paid £7.8 million a year in wages over a six-year deal. With Spanish tax laws demanding 52 percent be paid to the government, the winger's salary would be doubled to ensure he still takes home £150,000 a week. Agent's fees and other payments will take the full total of the transfer to over £200 million."
Bale has already informed his club that he wants to leave. The transfer window closes on August 31 and does not reopen until January. If Tottenham refuses the move, the club will have a discontent player and will be unable to leverage such a high asking price from any team.