Why Real Madrid broke the bank to sign Gareth Bale

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has claimed the Spanish side decided to act fast to sign Gareth Bale because Manchester United had bid for him.

Bale, 24, finally confirmed his move to the Bernabeu for £86million a day before the transfer deadline, although had it been up to Perez, the deal would have gone through in 12 months time.

Perez said: “Tottenham did not want to sell and we respected that.

“Then, when we found out that Manchester United would be making an offer, we made our own.

“Since his childhood he had the dream of playing for Real Madrid and he asked us to make it possible for him to come.”

Perez also claimed that, despite his world record transfer fee, Bale represented a bargain.

He added: “Bale was cheap.

“The signing of Gareth Bale is the model of Real Madrid, signing the best player in the world at this moment, and that is what I say.

“All the great players of Real Madrid have been cheap. I will not say the amount, but we must not focus too much on the purchase price.”

For Bale’s sake, perhaps it’s best if they don’t.