Gareth Bale "gave up fighting" for a place at Real Madrid, according to former Los Blancos striker and director of football Predrag Mijatovic.
Bale is the subject of much transfer speculation, with the Wales star – signed by Madrid for what was a world-record fee in 2013 – seemingly set to return to Tottenham.
On Wednesday, Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett confirmed to that talks were ongoing between Spurs and Madrid, while there has also been reported interest from Manchester United.
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Indeed, the north London club are "close" to getting the deal over the line, with Bale set to join up with Jose Mourinho, who has already revealed his admiration for the forward.