Gareth Bale to Spurs transfer news LIVE: Latest Tottenham updates
Follow all the latest news in one of the deals of the summer
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Your support makes all the difference.Tottenham are closing in on the major signing of Gareth Bale from Real Madrid, with the former Spurs winger set to fly to London tomorrow for a medical ahead of his big reveal.
Bale will join in a one-year loan deal with Spurs paying half of his wages and Madrid left paying the other half, and there will be no loan fee involved. It means the loan will cost Spurs around £13m for the year and the player will keep his astronomical £600k per week salary.
With Spurs also set to sign left-bak Sergio Reguilon, follow all the latest in a huge and exciting development for Spurs fans as their former star returns.
BALE ARRIVAL COULD HELP KANE BURDEN
The arrival of Gareth Bale at Tottenham could help Harry Kane and take the burden off his shoulders.
Sky Sports’ Adam Bate believes that the arrival of the Welshman could unburden Kane from scoring duties, with his supporting cast not pulling their weight last season.
The Welshman remains a physical specimen but at the age of 31, the days of him powering past opponents with sheer speed are drawing to a close. While he retains the threat of going by markers on the outside, his chief weapon now is cutting inside on that famed left foot.
With Doherty providing the width, Bale could be used as an inside rather than an outside right - putting him more often in that zone from which he found the net no fewer than nine times from outside the penalty box in his most recent season as a Premier League player.
Nobody has come close to those numbers since. That not only serves as a reminder of just how dangerous that Bale can be but it underlines the potential transformation in potency that his arrival could bring. The heavy scoring load on Kane could be shared.
SPURS AIM TO OFFLOAD FIVE PLAYERS
Tottenham are aiming to sell five players from their squad in order to free up funds to buy Jose Mourinho the striker he wants.
Tottenham are closing in on deals for Real Madrid duo Sergio Reguilon and Gareth Bale.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein states that up to five players could be shed from the squad once the deals for Bale and Reguilon are completed.
Danny Rose, Juan Foyth, Paulo Gazzaniga, Serge Aurier and Ryan Sessegnon are all surplus to requirements in north London, and Spurs will be hoping to move them in before the end of the transfer window.
Mourinho reportedly wants a back-up striker for Harry Kane.
WHERE WILL BALE PLAY IN THE CURRENT SPURS TEAM?
With Gareth Bale’s arrival at Tottenham seemingly imminent, it’s got many people wondering where the 31-year-old will play in Jose Mourinho’s side.
The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare believes that Bale could play in several positions:
Most likely as the right-sided attacker in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 (with Son Heung-min on the left), where he would be a big upgrade on Lucas Moura, who currently starts on the right.
Bale can also operate as a centre-forward in a more fluid front three but not as the out-and-out No 9 that Jose Mourinho wants. The manager will still want another striker as back-up for Kane. Mourinho has repeatedly spoken about big clubs needing to have big players on the bench, so he wants the additional competition up front. One side-effect of Bale’s arrival would be moving Steven Bergwijn, signed in January for €30 million (£27.6 million), further down the pecking order.
BALE WON’T PLAY UNTIL OCTOBER
Tottenham fans will have to wait a while longer to see the returning Gareth Bale don the white shirt, as it’s reported that he won’t play for another month.
According to Talksport, Bale is suffering from a knee injury and other fitness concerns, and will take him around a month to get up to speed.
Bale hardly played for Real Madrid last season, as he was deemed surplus to requirements by boss Zinedine Zidane after a move to China collapsed.
Football London’s Alasdair Gold states that Spurs have agreed to pay 40% of Bale’s £600,000 per-week wages.
SPURS WILL HAVE ‘BEST ATTACK’ IN THE LEAGUE SAYS BERBATOV
Former Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov says his old club will have the best attack in the Premier League once the Gareth Bale deal is finalised.
Bale is close to making an emotional return to Tottenham, seven years after he departed for Real Madrid, and Berbatov believes that no team could match Spurs in the attacking department pending his arrival.
“It’s great news for everyone involved,” Berbatov told Betfair. “Gareth loves Spurs, it’s where he first showed the world what he can do. “Quality never disappears. At 31, he still has the ability to play a crucial role at Spurs … This is a step back in the right direction for an amazing player.”
He added: “It’s hard to say that this alone will make Spurs title challengers, but it is a sign to the world that they can do serious business. The players in the squad will be encouraged, and so will potential signings.
“Bale, [Harry] Kane, [Heung-min] Son, Dele Alli. Managers would kill for this frontline … On paper, they now have the strongest front-line in the league along with Liverpool. “Bale is probably already texting Harry Kane and other Spurs players, chatting and looking forward to linking up.”
MOURINHO WANTS TO KEEP ALLI
Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho is a big fan of midfielder Dele Alli, and has no intention of moving the player on despite the pending arrival of Gareth Bale, according to Football London.
Bale is closing in on a return to Spurs after seven years in Spain, and is due in London tomorrow for his medical with the club.
The Telegraph and Daily Mail have reported that Alli could be the player to leave in order to make room for Bale’s return. However Football London believe that Mourinho is a big fan of the 24-year-old and wants to keep him in north London.
It’s reported that Mourinho believes there’s enough games in the season for Alli to play regular football.
TOTTENHAM TARGET CLOSE TO LEIPZIG MOVE
Spurs transfer target Alexander Sorloth is reportedly closing in on a move to the Bundesliga.
Tottenham are in the market for a back-up striker to Harry Kane, and had been linked to Torino’s Andrea Belotti and Sorloth in recent days.
Sorloth is currently playing for Turkish outfit Trabzonspor on a two-year loan deal from Crystal Palace.
However it’s believed that the 24-year-old will be heading to the Bundesliga, with The Athletic stating that a fee has been agreed with RB Leipzig in the region of £22m.
Sorloth will replace Timo Werner for the east German side, who sold the striker to Chelsea during the summer.
O’HARA ASKS WHY ALLI’S FUTURE IS IN DOUBT
Former Tottenham player Jamie O’Hara has asked why does Dele Alli’s future at the club has to be in doubt due to the incoming transfer of Gareth Bale.
Bale is set to return to Tottenham after seven years in Spain, and it’s been reported that Alli could be sold in order to make room for the Welsh star.
Speaking to Talksport, O’Hara doesn’t understand why Alli should be cast aside for Bale:
We haven't replaced Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli is that player in the no.10.
Gareth Bale is probably going to play on the right, so that means Lucas Moura, Steven Bergwijn and Erik Lamela are in that position, so if you're going to get rid of one to bring Bale in, then get rid of one of them.
ALLI FUTURE IN DOUBT
Dele Alli’s future at Tottenham is in doubt after he was left out of the squad for the Europa League qualifying match against Lokomotiv Plovdiv, according to the Daily Mail.
The English paper suggests that Alli’s absence from the squad for the trip to Bulgaria is due to the incoming arrival of Gareth Bale from Real Madrid, and that the Englishman’s time at the north London club could be at an end.
The Mail states that French giants Paris Saint-Germain and Internazionale are interested in signing Alli, with it being reported that Inter boss Antonio Conte is an admirer of the 24-year-old.
NO SPURS MOVE FOR BELOTTI
Torino striker Andrea Belotti is expected to remain in Turin, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Spurs had registered interest in signing the 26-year-old Italian, and it was reported that a first bid had been made by the London side.
It’s thought that Tottenham’s offer was a loan deal with an option to buy, however Torino rejected this, as they would only consider a permanent deal in the region of €60m.
Romano now believes that the club will look for a new striker once deals for Gareth Bale and Sergio Reguilon are completed.
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