Real Madrid started their pursuit of Gareth Bale by offering Gonzalo Higuaín and Fábio Coentrão in a player-plus-cash deal for the Tottenham Hotspur forward.

As Carlo Ancelotti was presented as Real head coach yesterday, his president was trying to secure the Spanish club’s stellar signing of the summer. Florentino Pérez wants to exploit Tottenham’s need for a top striker and left back while avoiding having to meet the valuation of Bale, which could be as high as £85 million.

André Villas-Boas, the Tottenham head coach, tried to sign Higuaín in 2011 when he was in charge at Chelsea.

Zinédine Zidane, who has championed a move for Bale, joined Ancelotti’s coaching staff yesterday alongside Paul Clement, the Englishman who was appointed assistant head coach.

Coentrão, the