Tottenham Hotspur Transfer News: Real Madrid Reportedly End Gareth Bale Chase

Arguably the biggest transfer rumor of the summer appears set to be over with reports that Real Madrid have ended their chase for Tottenham star Gareth Bale.

The Spanish powerhouse had long been linked with a move for the Welsh winger—last season's PFA and FWA Player of the Year—and were reportedly ready to offer any amount of money in order to bring the 23-year-old to the Bernabeu this summer.

However, according to a report from Marca (h/t Eurosport), Madrid have not made any headway with Tottenham Hotspur about a transfer and will thus end their chase.

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The Welshman is doing practically nothing to force a negotiation and give options to Real Madrid to seal his signing... [Luka] Modric adopted a different stance [during his move in the summer of 2012] which ended up benefiting Real Madrid. There are negotiations in which clubs close all the doors, and this is one of those.

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The Daily Mirror reports that Madrid are likely to pick up the chase in next season's summer transfer window and are prepared to offer the North London club a figure similar to the £85 million they were believed to be considering this summer (per the Daily Mail).

Either way, the news of Madrid's pending exit from the "chase for Bale" will come as a huge boost to Tottenham fans—as well as manager Andre Villas-Boas.

The former Chelsea boss had stated previously (per The Telegraph) that he was confident Bale would remain at the club next season as the club sought to leave their mark in the Europa League. He is no doubt aware of the importance of Bale in Spurs' bid for a top-four finish and Champions League qualification next season.

Especially given the squad that the Londoners are putting together. They recently signed Brazilian international midfielder Paulinho for £17 million (per Fox Sports).

Bale finished as the club's leading goalscorer last year with 21 goals and four assists in league play, and he had the Premier League's highest average match rating. As the graphic from WhoScored highlights, Bale was one of Europe's most important players to their club. He also picked up a Premier League-high 11 Man of the Match awards in just 33 appearances.

Keeping him from Madrid is one of the biggest coups for Tottenham this summer, and it should give them a huge boost heading into the new Premier League season. But none of this means other big-spending clubs have also given up on pursuing Bale this summer.

Paris Saint-Germain, anyone?

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