Tottenham Transfer News: Is Midfielder Gareth Bale Close To Joining Real Madrid?

The 2013 transfer window has certainly been a busy one on multiple fronts since many teams across the large spectrum of professional soccer are looking to build up for the current season.

One of those teams is Real Madrid and heading into the 2013-2014 season, the international power is looking to upgrade a talented roster with the hopes that another top-level player would be able to help the club win multiple championships, something they failed to do a year ago, winning only the Supercopa de Espana.

According to multiple sources, the nine-time UEFA Champions League winners are still highly active in their pursuit of Tottenham midfielder Gareth Bale. Bale is considered by many to be the third best player in the world behind Barcelona's Leo Messi and Real's Cristiano Ronaldo and if Real is finally able to reel in one of the most highly-coveted players during the transfer period, the club will certainly be in prime position for a dynamic 2013-2014 campaign.

Though the move would certainly give Real Madrid a boost while freeing up the ability for Tottenham to explore additional options, one former Real Madrid player feels the asking price for the 24-year-old is simply too high even though he did notch 26 goals last season while claiming the PFA Player of the Year award.

"Bale is a brilliant player and would bring a lot to Madrid," former Real star Raul said recently. "But he's very expensive. Tottenham have overestimated his price."

Bale is reportedly targeting a price of £100m and even though that is surely an astronomic fee, Bleacher Report notes that the two sides are inching closer to a deal. Included as part of the reported transaction, Fabio Coentrao would depart Real Madrid and move to White Hart Lane.

It certainly does remain to be seen whether or not Real Madrid will pull the trigger to acquire a player with the skillset of Bale. Perhaps feeling confident in their ability to lure some of the top names in the game, The Daily Star reports that the club has set aside the No. 11 jersey for the Welshman. Superstars Cristiano Ronaldo (No. 7), Xabi Alonso (No. 14) and Luka Modric (No. 19) are current superstars on the team but the addition of No. 11 would surely make them a formidable club moving forward.

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