Gareth Bale’s agent has confirmed that the player has held talks with Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho and that a move could be completed in short order.
Mourinho refused to comment on speculation on Wednesday at a press conference, and did little to talk down the chances of a transfer being confirmed before the end of the transfer window.
It appears likely that Real Madrid and Spurs are negotiating the structure of a possible deal to bring the 31-year-old back to Tottenham. There are conflicting reports about whether the move would be a one-year loan deal or a permanent transfer, with suggestions that a fee of £20 million would be required.
Given Bale’s roughly £600,000-a-week wages, his current club may have to subsidise his salary for Spurs to finance the move.
Speaking to Sky Sports, his agent Jonathan Barnett outlined the obstacles ahead of any deal, but sounded cautiously optimistic.
“There’s a long way to go on some issues, but without doubt Gareth is closer to leaving Madrid than at any time in the last seven years,” Barnett said.
“The deal is complicated, but there’s reason to believe a deal is close and things could move very quickly if discussions continue to go well.
“Gareth has spoken to Jose and explained how Spurs have a special place in his heart.”
Meanwhile, Mourinho told journalists on Wednesday: “Gareth Bale is a Real Madrid player and I don’t talk about players from other clubs. It’s not my job to have contact with agents and I don’t want to comment.”