It's looking more and more likely that Real Madrid will get Gareth Bale. But at what cost?
According to ESPN, "Tottenham Hotspur will agree to sell Gareth Bale to Real Madrid as long as they get Luka Modric back as part of the deal, according to reports."
Prior reports indicated that the team was willing to part with Bale for 98 million pounds and defenseman Fabio Coentrao; that would amount to approximately 120 million pounds. However, the club seems intent on getting higher value for its best player and wants Modric, who was purchased last season for 28 million pounds from Tottenham, back in the fold instead.
Manchester United is also reportedly interested in Modric, offering Madrid 25 million pounds for his services.
Madrid has made offers of 80 million pounds and even a rumored 100 million pound bid for Bale, but Tottenham wants more for its 24-year-old Welshman. The club has also steadfastly maintained that it has no intention of moving the Welshman.
"On Gareth, I want to repeat what I was telling you last season and what I was telling you from the beginning of pre-season so I cannot extend myself," Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas said from Hong Kong last week. "He's a player that we are willing to continue to have, he's a Tottenham player, he's one of the most fantastic players in the world at the moment and we are counting on him for the future...He is not for sale at any price, and there has been no offer from anyone."
"We're not going to give up on Bale," Madrid Sporting director Zinedane Zidane responded in an interview with Le 10 Sport. "It's impossible to forget about a player of his quality...It's only normal that Tottenham want him to sign a new contract but we've made it clear that he's one of our main objectives."
Bale has reportedly told Tottenham officials that he wants to move to Spain and the relationship between club and player has started to splinter.
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