[ 2013-07-28 ]

Real see Suarez as alternative to Bale
REAL MADRID are ready to enter the bidding for
Liverpool striker Luis Suarez as they seek an
alternative star signing to their principal
target, Tottenham Hotspur’s Gareth Bale.

Madrid are concerned that a failure to sign Bale
— for whom they would be prepared to pay at
least £70m — before the transfer window closes
on September 2 would leave Carlo Ancelotti’s
squad short up front for the new season.

The Spanish club, who have sold striker Gonzalo
Higuain to Napoli and so far brought in young
Spanish players Isco and Asier Illarramendi, want
a marquee signing to answer Barcelona’s capture
of Neymar.

Real feel confident of Suarez’s enthusiasm for a
move to La Liga and think Liverpool would prefer
to sell the Uruguayan to them rather than to
domestic rivals Arsenal, who have had a bid of
£40m rejected. Liverpool insist Suarez is not for
sale but are aware of the player’s desire for
Champions League action, which Madrid can offer
him.

Bale remains Madrid’s main target and they would
still hope to bring him to the club next year,
provided the Premier League’s Footballer of the
Year continues his exceptional progress. If their
increasingly aggressive push for Bale fails, they
would want him to join in 2014 at the latest.

Madrid also believe Bale may be more inclined to
press his current employers to negotiate with them
if he knows they are earnestly pursuing Suarez.

Bale missed Tottenham’s 6-0 win over South China
in the Asia Trophy in Hong Kong yesterday — in
which Jermain Defoe scored a hat-trick — because
of a buttock injury.

The Spurs manager, Andre Villas-Boas, said Bale
should recover sufficiently to train with the team
this week.

“He is going to be fit for training on
Wednesday,” he said.

“He hasn’t done any training with the team yet
but in all of the pre-season friendlies we had
before, he was involved. We are confident he will
be able to join us.”

Villas-Boas, who last week said Bale was in
ongoing contract talks with Spurs, refused to
comment on reports in the Spanish paper, Marca,
that Bale had told Spurs chairman Daniel Levy of
his desire to join Madrid. He declined to discuss
any aspect of the player’s future.

“I don’t want to comment on anything like
that,” said Villas-Boas. “I cannot speak about
anything.”

Tottenham’s win in Hong Kong came on a pitch
made difficult by torrential rain earlier in the
tournament. In addition to three from Defoe,
scores came from Clint Dempsey, Andros Townsend
and a South China defender’s own goal.

Source - The Times(UK)

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