Tottenham Transfer News: Mauricio Pochettino Comments on Gareth Bale Rumours

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has commented on reports that Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale could return to the club.

The Wales international left Spurs for Madrid in 2013 but has an agreement to leave the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season, according to Diario Gol (h/t the Daily Star's James Walters).

Bale has struggled with injury this season and has made just four La Liga starts for Zinedine Zidane's side.

Sky Bet showed just how much football Bale has missed for Real Madrid:

However, whenever he has played, he has proved to be effective, as highlighted by La Liga football writer Andrew Gaffney:

However, there is a sense of frustration around Bale's ongoing fitness problems, and the situation is neatly explained by journalist Lucas Navarrete:

Unsurprisingly, Pochettino has been asked about the speculation surrounding Bale and, specifically, if he could envisage the Welshman returning to north London.

Per Alasdair Gold at Football.London, he said: "I don't know, I don't know. I saw him in Madrid when we played there. Always he keeps contact with all the people here, that worked here in the past. But you know, what I can say about that, I don't know because I don't have that relationship with him or the people around him."

Gold also noted how Bale's wage demands may prove problematic for Spurs:

Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett, has said the player "wants to play the rest of his life at Real Madrid," in an interview with Fichajes.com (h/t Goal's Dom Farrell).

How long Bale stays at Madrid may well depend on whether he can shrug off his injury problems and maintain his fitness for prolonged spell.

There is no doubting his quality, and he has always delivered the goods for Madrid, but the amount of games he has missed is understandably a cause for concern and frustration for the Spanish champions.