Following two months of tough negotiations, the endless saga that Gareth Bale's signing to Real Madrid has become is at an end. And the outcome, as it could only be given the player's resounding decision, is that the Welshman will end up wearing white.
Real Madrid and Tottenham reached an agreement for the transfer of the Premier league's top footballer for £85 million, which equates to ?99 million, with payment being made in a number of instalments.
The deal was done during a meeting held on Wednesday night in Madrid, attended by Florentino Pérez and José Angel Sanchez for Real Madrid, Daniel Levy for Tottenham, and Jonathan Barnett, the player's agent. All that remains to be done now is to sign on the dotted line.
Bale will be a 'Los Blancos' player for the next 6 seasons, earning ?10 million after tax per year, and sporting the number 11 on his shirt.
Both clubs plan to announce the transfer once Tottenham finalizes the deal to secure Roma midfielder Eric Lamela, a deal the London club's technical director Franco Baldini was also tying up on Wednesday night in Madrid, along with organising the loaning out of Iago Falqué to Rayo Vallecano.
Saturday or Monday could be the day for the big announcement, in which case the player would undergo the medical and be presented on Tuesday. The two clubs are in complete agreement, although, with Levy involved, there are no guarantees until the papers are signed...
