Gareth Bale’s last footballing stint could be on the horizon, with the forward considering to call an end to his illustrious career. Real Madrid needs to cut their wage bill while Tottenham’s new head coach Nuno Santo confirmed there will be no return to Spurs for Bale.
Ahead of the reports that Nuno gave a cold and short, “he will not be part of our squad”, it was widely published that Gareth Bale, if a chance does not arise under the returning Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, he could retire from football altogether.
A decision of his own is to run his final year out at the Bernabéu, wanting no other move to materialise. The only club rumoured to be interested in him during this period is MLS side, LA Galaxy.
Added to this revelation by Bale, despite wanting to hang up his boots, he still wants to be a part of the Wales World Cup team, if they do qualify.
Making matters seemingly worse for Bale and another former Premier League great, Los Blancos have to cut ties with many of their top stars at the club in a bid to reduce their wage cap.
It is believed that Madrid would need to shave off, at least, £148m from their wage bill. The salary cap is £403million and will need to be reduced to as little as £255m.
"Bale’s future has dominated much of the talk both in Spain and on these shores, with the Wales international still having one year left to run on his Bernabeu deal.However, after a loan spell at Tottenham last season, it is as yet unknown what he will decide to do this summer, especially following the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti.But The Athletic report that Los Blancos’ wage cap is set to be slashed from £403million to £255m for the upcoming season, throwing a huge spanner in the works for Ancelotti’s transfer plans.It is thought that, in light of this, Real Madrid’s primary objective is to shift out the big earners, with Bale and Eden Hazard reportedly taking up as much as 13 percent of the club’s current wage bill. [Via: walesonline.co.uk]"
Tottenham’s rumoured targets
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The North Londoners have been active in the transfer market but are yet to add any new names to the roster. The club has not signalled the immediate search for a Harry Kane replacement and links suggest other areas have taken priority.
They have been linked with, more often than not, Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar and Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde and Bologna’s defender Takehiro Tomiyasu. This is understandable, considering they are yet to successfully replace Christian Eriksen who left in 2020.
Houssem Aouar is a good option for this but his arrival is attached with a Spurs departure. Lyon are rumoured to want Tanguy Ndombele to return in a swap deal which comprises of him for Aouar.
With the club’s Toby Alderweireld not getting any younger and in the twilight years of his playing career, a need for Jules Kounde is justified. Alderweireld has a couple of years left in the tank but we’ve seen injuries become consistent with age.
Takehiro Tomiyasu, who can play across the backline, is another sensible choice by Spurs. Serge Aurier and Davinson Sánchez have been inconsistent throughout their Premier League spell.
But with the likes of Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga ready to play a pivotal role in London and if they can land one or both of the abovementioned defensive targets, they have a lot to look forward to when the new campaign kicks off.