Spanish sports news purveyors Don Balon say Gareth Bale could make a surprise return to Tottenham, despite his current employers, Real Madrid, having previously rebuffed advances from Chelsea and Manchester United. With Isco and Marco Asensio proving more than capable of filling his Adidas Predator Precisions, the injury prone Welshman is fast becoming surplus to requirements at the Bernabéu and has even been subjected to jeers and whistles from the cheap seats during some of his appearances this season.

Bale, 28, was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford during the summer and speculation persists. Nevertheless, Don Balon report that he would rather move to Tottenham, the club that helped make him a star. In May 2015, at a time when Bale was being heavily criticised for poor performances towards the end of his second season in Spain, Mauricio Pochettino said Tottenham were “open to receive” him back at White Hart Lane if he was “not comfortable” at Real Madrid. “Tottenham will always have a place in my heart,” said Bale a year after his move to Spain. “I hope the fans still love me even though I’ve moved on. I love Spurs fans; you never know, I could come back one day.”

Elsewhere in Spain, Mundo Deportivo report that Barcelona sent scouts to keep tabs on Tottenham duo Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane during Tuesday night’s match between Real and Spurs. While the quality of both players can hardly be questioned, neither man was at his absolute best during an outstanding Tottenham Hotspur performance in which several other players stepped up and caught the eye. Those Harry Winks and Hugo Lloris to the Camp Nou rumours start here. Still only 18, Ajax central defender Matthijs de Ligt is another man wanted by the Catalan club, who have also approached representatives of the Liverpool winger Ben Woodburn.

Chelsea are hopeful of securing the signature of Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly come season’s end, but will have to fend off interest from – you’ve guessed it – Barcelona to bring the Senegal international to Stamford Bridge. Everton owner Farhad Moshiri has previously confirmed that he attempted to sign Koulibaly during the summer, but couldn’t afford Napoli’s £60m asking price. “Kalidou stayed because he has a strong contract and he knows that with these team-mates and this staff they can have important ambitions and try to win the Scudetto,” said the player’s agent, Bruno Satin, back in early September. So far, so good – Napoli lead Serie A and have yet to drop a point after eight matches.

Crystal Palace are ready to ramp up their interest in Besiktas striker Cenk Tosun, who scored twice for the Turkish side in their Champions League win at Monaco this week. Meanwhile in the Midlands, West Brom and Wolves are both hopeful of signing Bournemouth striker Benik Afobe, whose manager Eddie Howe has said the 24-year-old will not be going anywhere in the next transfer window. And finally, West Ham goalkeeper Adrián wants to find a new club after losing his place in Slaven Bilic’s first team to Joe Hart. Yet to feature in the league and aving made just two appearances in the Carabao Cup this season, the Spanish goalkeeper feels he needs a move elsewhere to boost his chances of making Spain’s World Cup squad.

