Tottenham Hotspur are in the midst of their “defense” so to speak, of their International Champions Cup “title.” As they are the reigning “holders” of the ICC silverware, here’s some of the Spursy news and notes making the rounds today. We start with some transfer talk, as we have just 18 days left until the summer window closes.
Could Gareth Bale be returning? When Spurs sold him to Real Madrid in 2013, the Welshman broke the world transfer fee record, now he could be going back the other way in 2019.
Marca had a cover story this past week suggesting the north London club was offering Bale his escape from the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
One thing is for sure- his days in Madrid are over.
“Bale did not play because he is very close to leaving,” Real boss Zinedine Zidane said after his side’s 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich in an ICC match staged in Houston.
“We hope he leaves soon. It would be best for everyone. We are working on his transfer to a new team. I have nothing personal against him, but there comes a time where things are done because they must be done, I have to make decisions. We have to change.”
“The exit is the coach’s decision, and also of the player, who knows the situation.
“The situation will change, I do not know if in 24 or 48 hours, but it will, and it’s a good thing for everyone.”
So how would this all work? Reportedly, Madrid would receive a €50m to €60m transfer fee, and Tottenham would pay about half of his €17 million annual salary.
Additionally, Real Madrid would also include a €25m up front buyout for the three years left on his deal. So this actually could work, and that’s commendable given how the destinations for Bale are limited due to his massive salary and transfer fee. Injuries have limited Bale to only 79 games of a possible 151 in La Liga over the past four seasons.
Elsewhere, in regards to that ICC defense, Tottenham beat Juventus 3-2 today in Singapore, getting goals from Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura.
The match winner was scored by Harry Kane from midfield in extra time.
“It’s probably one of the best goals in my career,” Kane said.
“I saw the keeper was quite far off his a few times, so I thought I would take the chance if I had the opportunity. I saw him off his line and fortunately it went in.”
Take look below, WOW!
WOW! What a goal @HKane pic.twitter.com/3f0vYHSm3r
— The Spurs Obsession (@SpursObsession) July 21, 2019
Up next is a preseason clash on Thursday against Manchester United (who are reportedly not interested in Gareth Bale, for a change, this summer transfer window) in Shanghai, China.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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