Gareth Bale injury blow for Tottenham as transfer clause emerges
The wait to see Gareth Bale in a Tottenham shirt again is set to be delayed by at least a month as he struggles to shake off a knee injury.
The Welshman completed a medical in Spain before travelling to London on Friday. And his loan move from Real Madrid is expected to be confirmed imminently.
Bale left North London for Madrid for a then world-record £85million in 2013. But the seven-year wait to resume his Spurs career will continue for just a little while yet.
Although the knee problem won’t scupper the deal going through, it will prevent Jose Mourinho throwing the 31-year-old straight into action, reports Marca.
It’s thought that the second half of October is a realistic timeframe.
Looking at the fixture list, Tottenham host West Ham on October 17. That could be a possibility while away to Burnley the week after or home to Brighton on October 31 are other candidates.
Although Bale has been frozen out by the Spanish giants, he has represented his country in recent times.
He played the full 90 minutes on September 6 as Wales beat Bulgaria 1-0 in the Nations League. And that added to 45 minutes in the 1-0 victory in Finland three days earlier.
Mourinho will be keen to get Bale involved as soon as he can given that the loan deal is currently for just a season only.
Bale loan deal could be extended
However, news has emerged that Bale’s move from Madrid could be extended for a second season.
Football London claim that Tottenham have the option to keep hold of the player until he reaches the end of his contract at Real in 2022.
The contract is reportedly worth £600,000-a-week before tax.
Under the terms of the new deal struck, Spurs will pay around 40 percent of the player’s wages, with Real forking out for the rest.
Mourinho kept his cards close to his chest when asked about Tottenham’s interest in the winger earlier this week.
“Gareth Bale is a Real Madrid player and I don’t comment on players from other clubs,” he said.
It’s known that Mourinho is a long-time admirer. He tried to sign Bale during his tenure at Manchester United.
