Spurs Transfer News: Gareth Bale To Cost £125 Million?

The Sun. That's the staggering valuation Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has come up with for the 24-year-old Wales international, who is determined to hold out for a straight cash deal and is not interested in taking players as makeweight. The Tottenham supremo has already rejected Real's opening bid of £81 million for Bale - a world record offer - and the Spanish giants are expected to come back with an improved, cash-plus-players proposal including Angel Di Maria and Fabio Coentrao. However, Levy isn't interested and is still fuming at the way Real conducted themselves last summer when they engineered Luka Modric's controversial transfer to the Bernabeu. Levy's bitterness at the way that move came about will fuel his determination to squeeze all the money he can out of last season's La Liga runners up, who are desperate to sign Bale this summer. A club source commented:

€œDaniel is only interested in what€™s best for Tottenham. €œIf he can€™t keep the player, which we must not forget he still wants to, then he€™s going to make Real pay a very heavy price.€

The Modric saga started in 2011 with Levy insisting the midfielder was not for sale - at any price. Spurs snubbed three bids from Chelsea for the Croatian playmaker at £22 million, £27 million and finally £40 million. Modric was persuaded to stay in North London for one more season before making it clear he wanted to join Real, and finally being granted his wish 12 months ago when he completed a £33 million move to the Spanish capital. And that move has many similarities with the current and ongoing Bale saga, which looks set to rumble on for some time yet.