Hopes about Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale making a stunning switch back to Tottenham are “not realistic”, according to manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Bale, 29, voiced his displeasure at a lack of starts in the immediate aftermath of his two-goal salvo off the substitutes’ bench during Los Blancos’ 3-1 victory against Liverpool in May’s Champions League final.
The Wales forward was then linked with a return to the North London club, whom he departed from in September 2013 for a reported world-record €100 million fee.
But Bale’s current wages and transfer valuation appear prohibitive, plus this month’s exit of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus looks to have greatly increased his standing at Santiago Bernabeu.
“I think it’s not realistic,” Pochettino told reporters after Spurs were beaten on penalties by Barcelona in the International Champions Cup.
“I think we’re going to [complete deals], sure, [we’ll] see what happens in the next few days. If you say we need to sign, maybe, but with or without injuries that was our target after we finished last season – to add some players with qualities that can help us achieve all that we want.
“After many years in football, I think nothing’s going to change if you have different moods or humour. You need to be relaxed, working hard. My focus is trying to help the team and develop the way we want to play and arrive in the best condition to start the season. Nothing’s going to change if I changed my behaviour or the way I act.
“I’m not going to talk about targets or names. We’ll see in the next few weeks.”
Bale scored 55 times in 203 games for Spurs from 2007-13. At Madrid, he’s notched 88 goals in 189 appearances.
