Roving winger to become best paid player in Spurs’ history.
Tottenham are ready to make Gareth Bale the highest paid player in their history to keep the him from Real Madrid’s clutches – but the Welshman is only likely to stay at White Hart Lane if the club qualify for the Champions League.
The 23-year-old signed a new contract last summer tying him to the club until 2016 but his stunning performances this season have prompted Spurs to consider significantly improving his salary from £75,000-a-week to around £130,000 per week.
The new package will also include performace-related bonuses and image rights over the next four years and Spurs believe the deal should persuade Bale to stay at White Hart Lane for at least one more season, reports the Evening Standard.
However, the former Southampton star will only considering staying put if the club qualifies for next season’s Champions League.
Tottenham currently sit third in the Premier League, four points ahead of fifth-placed Arsenal going into Sunday’s crunch North London derby at White Hart Lane.
If the club finishes outside the top four however, Bale will seek an exit this summer rather than spend another season in the Europa League.
Juventus and PSG are both interested in the forward but La Liga remains his preferred destination, with Barcelona and Tottenham’s strategic partners Real Madrid currently the only teams in world football prepared to meet his price-tag of over £50m.
As with Luka Modric, who joined Real in the summer, Spurs would prefer to sell Bale to a club outside the Premier League but the North London outfit are hopeful their new contract will persuade him to stay at the club one more season, which would put Spurs in a strong bargaining position in summer 2014.
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