London: Gareth Bale on Wednesday put himself among Tottenham’s top earners by signing a lucrative four-year contract.
But the club’s attempts to keep Luka Modric look remote after the Croatia midfielder said he could no longer fulfil his ambitions at White Hart Lane.
Wales winger Bale, 22, committed his future to the club until 2016 by signing a contract extension.
It has netted him a significant pay increase, taking his wage to around £75,000 (Dh430,000) per week, with performance related add-ons on top.
Bale said: “The fans have been great to me and I’d love to repay them and do the very best for them. The club is progressing and I want to be a part of that, so it was great to get the deal done.
“I love the club and the fans, and I want to play my part in trying to get us back into the Champions League — where we belong. We’ve a good, young squad and we need to work together to get back on the biggest stage.”
The news comes as a huge boost to Tottenham and should end speculation of an imminent move for Bale to one of Europe’s elite. Manchester City, Barcelona and AC Milan have all been linked with Bale but his future, for next season at the very least, remains at White Hart Lane.
However, the club’s other prized asset, Modric, seems determined to finally leave north London this summer.
The midfielder wants to quit the club in search of Champions League football. The player was quoted in Spanish newspaper Marca, which has close links with Real Madrid, saying: “Here I am no longer able to fulfil my dream. I’m going to play in the Champions League — I want to win this competition.”
Nevertheless, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will not let the influential midfielder leave without a fight and will demand a fee close to £40 million.
Andre Villas-Boas, who is expected to be confirmed as Tottenham’s new boss, and management staff have already started with plans to reshape the squad ahead of next season.
Barring any last-minute hitches, the Portuguese will be named as Harry Redknapp’s successor on July 1. Discussions have already taken place about potential transfer targets and which squad members should be retained.
Gylfi Sigurdsson is expected to arrive from Hoffenheim in an £8 million deal while Spurs remain hopeful of completing a £9 million swoop for defender Jan Vertonghen, despite the move apparently stalling over the player’s pay-off from Ajax.
Vedran Corluka has joined Lokomotiv Moscow from Spurs on a three-year contract.
