Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho will try and bring Gareth Bale back to the club next summer, according to reports.
Bale joined Real Madrid from Tottenham in 2013 for a then-world-record fee of £85m.
The Wales international has won four Champions Leagues and a La Liga title during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, but he does not appear to have much of a long-term future at the club.
Bale was on the verge of moving to the Chinese Super League in the summer, only for president Florentino Perez to pull the plug on the deal.
Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has included the forward in his starting XI on just seven occasions in La Liga and the Champions League this term, fuelling rumours that he could depart at the end of the season.
And according to AS, Mourinho will attempt to bring Bale back to Tottenham for a second spell ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.
The former Manchester United manager was interested in acquiring the former Southampton man while he was in charge at Old Trafford, and will reportedly do the same at Spurs next summer.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has already informed his new manager that there will be no funds available in the January transfer window.
Mourinho has nevertheless drawn up a list of targets which, according to the Independent, includes Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic, Benfica centre-back Ruben Dias and Sporting CP midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
The former Chelsea and United manager worked with Matic at both of his former Premier League clubs, and could be reunited with the Serbia international before the start of next season.
Mourinho took charge of his first training session as Tottenham boss on Wednesday, as his side prepare for a crunch clash with London rivals West Ham this weekend.
READ MORE
Long read: The making of Jose Mourinho – how did he go from 'the translator' to 'the Special One’?
Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham really did prove that trophies are not the only measure of success
‘After Manchester City’s recent form, maybe they’re the underdogs against Manchester United!’ Former Red Devils defender on this weekend’s derby
‘Arteta, Alonso, Emery, me… none of us were physical players – we needed the understanding of the game. That probably helped us move into management’: Premier League boss reveals reasons for natural career progression
