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**Dunny** · July 28, 2013, 06:15 AM

Bale in turmoil after Spurs reject world record £82m bid from Real Madrid

By Joe Bernstein and Rob Draper
PUBLISHED:22:35, 27 July 2013| UPDATED:22:46, 27 July 2013 338shares
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Tottenham superstar Gareth Bale is in turmoil after the club turned down a world record £82million bid for him from Real Madrid.
The 24-year-old missed his club's pre-season friendly in Hong Kong on Saturday - and cannot see himself wearing the white of Tottenham again.
Manager Andre Villas Boas has diplomatically put the Welshman's absence from this week's Barclays Asia Trophy tournament down to a muscle strain. But the reality is that the player is physically fit to play - but mentally shattered.

Bale out: Will Welsh wizard been seen again in Tottenham shirt?

He has set his heart on a move to Madrid to play Champions League football alongside global superstars Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema.
But the final decision on his dream move rests with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, who is digging his heels in and insisting Bale fulfils the remaining three years of his contract.
With Wales missing from next summer's World Cup, Bale is desperate to test himself in Europe's biggest competition and faces turning 25 in a year's time having played just one season at that level.

Missing in action: Bale sat out Spurs' 6-0 win victory over South China on Saturday

Bale, who scored 31 goals for club and country from midfield last season, is currently unable to contemplate new contract talks with Spurs, even though it could provide him with a get-out in a year's time.
The player is terrified that Levy - known as the toughest negotiator in the game - will simply refuse to let him leave whatever the price. But Real, backed by their legendary ambassador Zinedine Zidane, are confident they will eventually get their man.
Spurs will not confirm that an official written bid has been made but they are aware of the amount Real are willing to offer to secure Bale, which exceeds the world record £80m they paid Manchester United for Ronaldo in 2009.

Tasty: Bale wants to join the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid

For the current Footballer of the Year, playing alongside some of the planet's finest players is not just a dream right now, it feels like a necessity.
Having just turned 24 and privately sceptical about Tottenham's chances of improving on last season's position of fifth given the strength of the Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, Bale faces the prospect in a year's time of celebrating his 25th birthday with just one season of Champions League football behind him; no record for a player rated by Jose Mourinho as the third-most valuable in the world behind Lionel Messi and Ronaldo.
That is the over-riding factor in his thinking despite many things to keep him in England. He likes his manager, his family are settled in England with baby daughter Alba born earlier this year and he has a lucrative contract promoting BT Sport's coverage of the Premier League.

Final say: Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is a tough negotiator

But when a footballing legend like Zidane courts you and Real Madrid back it up with a world-record offer to play in the biggest club competition of all, it is hard not to have your head turned.
As a close friend of Bale's said recently: 'Which player wouldn't want to play with Modric, Ozil and Ronaldo as team-mates. Tottenham is a fantastic club, but it's not Real Madrid.'
The problem Bale faces is his future is not entirely up to him. Tottenham's chairman is determined to turn his club into one of England's biggest and does not think selling his best player would look good.
With three years left on his contract, it puts Bale in an awkward position, one where he hopes common sense will prevail from Levy. Certainly with the money, he'd be able to sign four top-class players.
Villas-Boas, a close ally until now, refused to answer questions about Bale's future after yesterday's game.
But, quizzed repeatedly, he fell back on the same phrase.

Most wanted: Manager Andre Villas-Boas is desperate to keep hold of Bale

'I won't comment on anything. I am so sorry,' he said. 'I can't speak about speculation.'
With any chairman apart from Levy, you'd think money would talk and Real are confident their massive world-record offer will eventually seal the deal with Tottenham's new director of football Franco Baldini leading negotiations.
However Bale, a player labelled sensitive by his former manager Harry Redknapp, is petrified Levy will simply refuse to let him go – and his anguish about that is considerable, leaving AVB a massive problem about how to motivate a desperately unhappy player.
From Madrid's point of view, President Florentino Perez is simply refusing to countenance missing out on his No1 Galactico target having seen Brazil's Neymar sweep into rivals Barcelona earlier this summer.
The No 11 shirt has already been earmarked for the Welsh wizard, whose 31 goals for club and country last season saw him collect a clean sweep of individual player of the year awards.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, in charge of Madrid last season, admits he hasn't batted an eyelid at the mouth-watering summers Real are prepared to pay.
'He has an unbelievable shot, an unbelievable action, scores last-minutes goals that win games. So I think if you forget Messi and Ronaldo, the kid is fantastic. When I read some numbers I think this kid will be worth every pound that people are speaking about.'
Without Bale, Spurs beat South China 6-0 during torrential rain in Hong Kong. Tottenham's next friendly is against Monaco on Saturday and Villas Boas insisted: 'There is a big possibility he (Bale) could be fit. He is going to be fit to join the team for training on Wednesday.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz2aKlD9Blq
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