Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Gareth Bale nearly STAYED at Tottenham rather than joining Real Madrid reveals agent
GARETH BALE came very close to staying at Spurs rather than joining Real Madrid, his agent has claimed.
The Welshman clinched an £85 million move on the penultimate day of the transfer window, smashing the previous record fee that was held by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Bale netted on his La Liga debut for Real against Villarreal though it could have been a different story his agent Jonathan Barnett suggested.
"The deal never fell apart, but it came close on several occasions," Barnett told Spanish TV's 'La Sexta'.
"It wasn't all peace and love in the meetings.
"They were tough and problematic."
It emerged yesterday Manchester United made a stunning £120m bid to steal Bale from under Real's noses.