A SPORTS DAILY in Spain has skipped the formalities between Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur and announced Gareth Bale as Real Madrid’s €91m signing.
Citing sources from Real, the paper said that the Spanish giants will pay €84m of the fee up front with a further €7m to be paid in variables depending on the Welshman’s success with the club.
‘Signed!’ declares the front page of AS. (Credit: Kiosko)
It had been expected that the price for Bale would even exceed the world transfer record of €94m that Madrid paid Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo back in 2009.
However, having sealed the transfers of Argentine Erik Lamela and Romanian Vlad Chiriches on Friday to take their spending for the window to around £92.8 million, it is believed the London club wanted the bulk of the deal to be paid up front even if it meant settling for a lower price overall.
Bale himself is set to earn a reported €10m a year from a six-year-deal with the club. Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas admitted on Thursday that the deal would be completed “very soon”
– Additional reporting © AFP,2013
