Bale unlikely to ever return to Tottenham & switch was never an option in January, says agent

A return to Tottenham for Gareth Bale was never on the cards in January, according to his agent Jonathan Barnett, with it unlikely that the Welshman will ever head back to north London.

A retracing of the 30-year-old’s steps has been mooted for some time.

Each passing transfer window brings with it a fresh round of speculation, with it suggested that Bale should be looking to escape the criticism which continues to come his way in Spain and head back to Britain.

Barnett has always maintained that his client has no desire to take in a second spell in the Premier League.

He has also moved at regular intervals to point out that a contract through to 2022 will be honoured at Madrid and that any talk of loan moves or being overlooked by Zinedine Zidane is wide of the mark.

That stance has now been reiterated, with Barnett telling talkSPORT when asked if any approach from Spurs had been received before the last deadline passed: “No.

“[Daniel Levy] may have [visited Madrid], it’s not for me to say whether he did or didn’t.

“Gareth is very happy over there.

“And let’s be realistic: for most clubs he is out of their league, financially.

“It is all well and good to say, ‘give up that money and go and play somewhere else’, but it is not all about money. It is about his lifestyle and his children, who have grown up in Madrid.”

Getty Images

A door could be opened for Tottenham once Bale’s current deal comes to a close, with it possible that he could seek a new challenge as a free agent.

Barnett has, however, claimed that other options are likely to be explored.

Pressed further on whether Bale could head back to familiar surroundings in 2022, his representative added: “I don’t think so, no.

“He’s in a very fortunate position.

“When his contract is up, hopefully, he will sit down with me and his family and decide what he wants to do.”

While Real have opted to keep Bale on their books for now, a man with only three goals from 15 appearances this season played no part in their most recent La Liga outing – a 1-0 derby win over Atletico Madrid.