Gareth Bale
Gareth Bale has revealed he is fully expecting to return to Real Madrid this summer after his one-year loan spell at Tottenham comes to an end.
The Wales captain still has another season of his £31million-a-year contract remaining with the Spanish champions and believes he will see out his deal with them.
The cost of a second year at Tottenham would be significant, with Spurs paying around £250,000 of Bale’s £600,000-a-week deal at Madrid, and Bale has had mixed fortunes since returning to Spurs during the summer window.
Speaking ahead of Wales’ World Cup qualifier against Belgium on Wednesday, Bale confirmed that he is planning to return to Madrid in the summer and admitted it was a relief to link up with his international colleagues after a difficult week with Spurs.
“The main reason I came to Spurs this year was that I wanted to play football first and foremost, but going into Euro 2020 I wanted to be match fit,” said Bale.
“The original plan was only to do a season at Spurs and then after the Euros I still have a year left at Real Madrid. My plan is obviously to go back and that’s as far as I have planned.
“I always think when things aren’t going too well at your club it’s nice to get away,” Bale added.
Wales are in a group with Belgium, Czech Republic, Belarus and Estonia as they look to qualify for a World Cup for the first time since 1958.
Bale won four Champions League crowns and two LaLiga titles during his seven years at Madrid, but his relationship with manager Zinedine Zidane had soured by the time he returned to North London in September.
Since arriving back at Spurs – where he left for Madrid back in 2013 for a then world record fee of £86m – Bale had endured a topsy-turvy time, scoring 10 goals in 25 games in all competitions.