Tottenham Hotspur have ordered Gareth Bale to report for training today, thwarting Real Madrid’s plan to introduce the forward to their supporters as their new signing.

The North London club are furious with Real for presuming that a deal for the Welshman had been concluded. A stage was erected near the directors’ box at the Bernabéu last week, from which it was planned that Bale would be handed the No 11 shirt, and the Real website showed replica jerseys bearing the player’s name. Real acknowledged that a mistake had been made on the website and the jerseys were not available for sale at the ground yesterday.

Tottenham, who lost out to Chelsea in the race to sign Willian on Friday, wanted time to complete other