Real Madrid signs forward Gareth Bale from Tottenham for record fee
Gareth Bale will transfer from Tottenham to Real Madrid for a record 100-million euro fee. (Ian Walton/Getty Images)
Real Madrid made the long-awaited move official on Sunday, announcing that it has signed forward Gareth Bale from Tottenham to a six-year deal.
The transfer fee of 100 million euros breaks the world record set by Real Madrid in 2009, when the club purchased Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.
Bale, a 24-year-old from Wales, was named the PFA Young Player of the Year, the PFA Players' Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year last season.
https://twitter.com/SpursOfficial/status/374230491060133888
https://twitter.com/realmadrid/status/374231986279575552
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy released the following statement on Bale, who scored 55 goals over his six years with Spurs, on the team's official website:
"Gareth was a player we had absolutely no intention of selling as we look to build for the future. He is a player whose career we have fostered and developed and he was only a year into his new four year contract.
"Such has been the attention from Real Madrid and so great is Gareth's desire to join them, that we have taken the view that the player will not be sufficiently committed to our campaign in the current season.
"We have, therefore, with great reluctance, agreed to this sale and do so in the knowledge that we have an exceptionally strong squad to which we have added no fewer than seven top internationals. More importantly, we have an immense team spirit and a dressing room that is hungry for success.
"We wish Gareth all the best in the future and he shall always be welcome at the Lane."
Bale called the move a "dream come true," according to Associated Press reporter Rob Harris.
https://twitter.com/RobHarris/status/374239711130173440
