Bale has been out of favour at Real Madrid for some time

Tottenham attempted to pull off an audacious deal to re-sign Gareth Bale.

The Times can reveal Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy travelled to Madrid for talks with Real president Florentino Pérez in an effort to secure the services of the 30-year-old forward who moved from White Hart Lane to the Spanish club for what, in 2013, was a world-record transfer of £85 million.

And with the transfer deadline only hours away, Tottenham believed on Thursday evening they had made a breakthrough in negotiations, although the finer details of a deal had not yet been agreed — not least how they frame a contract when Bale has been earning a staggering £500,000 a week at the Santiago Bernabeu — but The Times understands there was growing confidence