Tottenham to be offered permanent Gareth Bale deal as Real Madrid eye Kylian Mbappe swoop

Posted Wednesday, March 03, 2021 by Express.co.uk

Tottenham look likely to be presented with the opportunity to sign Gareth Bale permanently from Real Madrid in the coming summer transfer window.

Gareth Bale could now be set for a permanent switch to Tottenham - with Real Madrid ready to capitalise on the Welshman’s sudden burst of form.

Bale scored twice in Spurs’ 4-0 win over Burnley to take his tally to four goals in four games - in a spectacular return to form after a patchy first four months of his loan from Real.

But Spurs manager Jose Mourinho is now ready to plead with Wales to go easy on Bale in their World Cup qualifying games at the end of this month - to protect the 31-year-old.

The Welsh star will still have a year left on his Bernabeu contract at the end of this season - but Real want to clinch a permanent deal with Spurs and get his £600,000-a-week wages off their books.

Real want to put the funds together for an £135million move for Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe in the summer - and letting Bale go would bolster finances.

Wales face Belgium away in their opening World Cup qualifier on March 27, then meet Mexico in a friendly three days later, and finally face the Czech Republic in another qualifier on March 30.

Tottenham to be offered permanent Gareth Bale deal as Real Madrid eye Kylian Mbappe swoop (Image: GETTY)

Before that, Spurs face Fulham on Thursday, Crystal Palace on Sunday and Dinamo Zagreb at home in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie, before the north London derby against Arsenal on Sunday March 14.

They then face the second leg against Zagreb and a trip to Aston Villa before the international break.

Mourinho said last week: “Our players are going to be on a 10-match run in March, which is crazy. Seven for the club plus three for national teams.

"Gareth is a player we need to take care of. He is playing all the minutes that he can and that we feel are good for his evolution.

"I want to play him on Thursday and Sunday, and next week against Dinamo - but I don't think I can.”

Tottenham to be offered permanent Gareth Bale deal as Real Madrid eye Kylian Mbappe swoop (Image: GETTY)

Tottenham’s last 16 Europa League tie against Zagreb was switched by UEFA on Monday night to avoid a clash with neighbours Arsenal, so Mourinho’s team will now play the home leg first next Thursday.

Spurs and Arsenal, who face Greek club Olympiakos in their last-16 tie, were both due to play their first legs away on March 11 and the second leg at home a week later, with the north London derby at the Emirates sandwiched in between.

As domestic cup winners, Arsenal's tie takes priority, so Tottenham's game has been reversed, leaving them without a trip overseas ahead of the potentially pivotal derby.

Bale, who had only started two league games before Sunday, has had a series of niggling injury problems - with Mourinho at one point criticising the Welshman’s Instagram post for giving a “totally wrong” impression about his fitness.

At that point Bale’s loan spell looked certain to end unhappily - with his agent Jonathan Barnett even at one point suggesting that he was nearing the end of his career.

But he has turned things around and is now back in good rhythm for the north London club.

Tottenham to be offered permanent Gareth Bale deal as Real Madrid eye Kylian Mbappe swoop (Image: GETTY)

On the international stage, in November, Bale played in both Wales’ Nations League games, against the Republic of Ireland, where he played for the full 90 minutes, and Finland, where he featured for 61 minutes.

But the Wales icon sat out the friendly against the USA just before the two Nations League games. Bale has 33 goals so far from his 87 caps for Wales.

His goals in Spurs' win over Burnley meanwhile took him to 50 English league goals. He has three this term to add to 42 in his previous spell with Spurs and five with Southampton in the Championship.

He joked: “Bit of a while between getting it but it's nice to get it! The most important thing was to help the team.

"I have been building up a little bit to get fully fit - felt comfortable and my form is coming back, it's nice to help the team.”