According to a report by Spanish news outlet AS, Tottenham face a potential stumbling block if they want to keep Gareth Bale on an extended loan – with Real Madrid allegedly eager for Spurs to pay the entirety of his lofty wages.
Bale, who is slowly making his way back to full fitness after re-signing for the club in a sensational summer deal, could still impress manager Jose Mourinho enough to warrant the club taking him back on a permanent deal or, at the very least, extending his current loan.
[freshpress-poll id=”334569″]
Bale and the wage dilemma
The Wales international has been slowly but surely integrated into the team by Mourinho as he aims to recapture his best years in north London – making the odd cameo before starting a decent amount of matches in recent weeks.
He scored the winner at home to Brighton in a narrow 2-1 victory, feeding off Sergio Reguilon’s cross with a bullet header, perhaps giving an indication as to just how deadly he could be for Spurs over this season.
However, if chairman Daniel Levy wishes to keep him at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on loan for longer, it is reported by AS that he will likely have to fork out the full portion of his lofty £600,000-per-week wage before tax.
This would make him the highest paid player in the Spurs squad by some way, with superstar striker Harry Kane currently on a third of that amount despite his own importance.
Transfer Tavern take
There could be a way round for the club if Levy were to negotiate a pay cut in any would-be permanent deal, but it’s unclear whether Bale would agree to those terms.
In any instance, a loan extension could mean that the club will have a huge drain on wage funds, something that may be a blow to Tottenham if they want to prolong Bale’s stay.
In other news: Spurs have been tipped to bring this genius back in January, it’s not Eriksen – find out more here.
