Tottenham Hotspur 'concede defeat over Gareth Bale'

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly accepted that they will not be able to complete a deal for Real Madrid attacker Gareth Bale before Friday night's transfer deadline.

Spurs are believed to have entered into discussions with Madrid earlier this week in the hope of bringing the Wales international back to the club before the end of the January transfer window.

However, according to the Daily Mail, Jose Mourinho's side have conceded defeat with little over four hours of the window left to run due to the finances involved.

The report claims that Tottenham made 'a genuine effort' to land the 30-year-old but a deal was always unlikely with the Welshman picking up wages of £600,000 a week at the Bernabeu.

Bale, who has won four Champions League titles during his time in Spain, has been restricted to just 15 appearances at club level during the 2019-20 campaign, largely due to injury.

The attacker's agent Jonathan Barnett rubbished suggestions that his client could move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when questioned on deadline day.