Real Madrid have decided to stop pursuing Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale, according to Spanish newspaper Marca. It is believed that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez now considers signing the Welshman impossible after growing tired of Tottenham stubborness.
With Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy not willing to listen to offers, the Spainsh club now feels that reaching an agreement is not a viable solution. Madrid faced similar difficulties while trying to sign Luka Modric from Tottenham last summer. The transfer eventually materialised due to Modric's insistence on leaving. Gareth Bale, on the other hand, has not forced the North London club to consider offers. He seems to have accepted playing in the Premier League for one more season, despite Tottenham's failure to qualify for the Champions League.
Marca, however, do not suggest that Bale has no desire of joining Los Blancos, but rather that it might not happen this summer. In fact, they claim that Bale's club of preference, once he leaves London, is Madrid. They key issue is when the transfer will happen.
With Marca notorious for their close connection with Madrid it is unclear whether the report is another attempt at putting media pressure on Tottenham Hotspur to reduce their price. If Perez has indeed given up on signing the player, Tottenham fans can breathe a sigh of relief that their star player will be helping in their Champions League bid for next season.
On the same day as the Marca report, Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett confirmed that there has been no contact between Madrid and his client.
"Bale has not said no, nor yes. There's no offer from Madrid; they have to talk between themselves and we will see what happens," Barnett told Futboleros on Marca TV.
"He was at Malaga airport [Tuesday], he's been in Marbella on holiday," Barnett continued, "he comes back to Tottenham for pre-season training next week."
Barnett leaves the possibility for a transfer open, but insists that, as of now, Bale is still a Tottenham Hotspur player. With the London club having recently confirmed the signing of Brazil midfielder Paulinho, manager Andre Villas-Boas will be hoping that the loss of Bale will not undermine his attempts at building a squad to compete with the Manchester clubs and Chelsea.
