Real preparing transfer bomb of the year

Spanish team reportedly offered €100 million for Gareth Bale – the highest in history

Talks on the most expensive transfer in football history are in the final stage. According to the Spanish daily Marca, the arrival of Welsh sensation Gareth Bale to Real Madrid is almost a done deal. The player is said to have already agreed to the terms of a six-year contract, and representatives of “Los Blancos” have reportedly offered exactly €100 million to England’s Tottenham Hotspur to buy Bale out of his valid contract. British media point out that Real Madrid’s recent “clear-out” hints at a major signing – four players have already left, and two more – striker Gonzalo Higuaín and Fabio Coentrão – are on their way out. “Whether Gareth Bale leaves now or in a year, we can say with near certainty that he will become the most expensive footballer in history,” football agent Jozef Tokos told the Economic Daily.

A young Bale’s dream
The pro-Real Madrid daily Marca reported on a secret meeting between Real Madrid representatives and the player’s agent at the end of June. “It has been his dream to play for Real since he was ten years old,” Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett revealed. Furthermore, Real Madrid has temporarily set aside the number eleven shirt – the same number Bale has worn for the past six seasons in the English Premier League – suggesting it’s ready for him. “All summer, Tottenham’s management has been insisting that Bale will not be going anywhere. This can be for different reasons – either they truly don’t want to let him go, or they’re increasing his transfer price and avoiding angering their fans right before the start of the season,” Tokos observed. One strong sign for Real Madrid to push forward with the Bale deal came from their rivals Barcelona, who, after many years, brought Brazilian football jewel Neymar to the Camp Nou. “Even he said he would only come to Europe after the World Cup in Brazil – and yet, as you see, he arrived a year earlier,” said Tokos.

Record year for transfers
Whether or not the Bale deal goes through, 2013 is already the most lucrative year in the history of the transfer business. Three moves have already made it into the all-time top ten. Edinson Cavani’s move to Paris Saint-Germain ranks fifth, Radamel Falcao’s transfer to Monaco is sixth, and Neymar’s arrival sits in ninth place. “It’s an incredible year with huge transfers. The crisis clearly hasn’t affected football – it’s similar to luxury goods, which haven’t felt the negative impact of the worsening economy either,” Tokos explained.