What Gareth Bale said about Tottenham hiring 'serial winner' Jose Mourinho

Gareth Bale is set to make a sensational return to Tottenham, with Spurs closing in on a deal for the Real Madrid forward.

Standard Sport understands that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is leading negotiations with Real and Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett, with all sides optimistic of completing the shock deal - which will most likely be a loan switch.

Any move will be dependent on Real agreeing to subsidise at least half of the 31-year-old's reported £600,000-a-week wages, which the Spanish giants are reluctantly willing to do.

While Levy is the main driving force behind the move, it is understood that Jose Mourinho has given his blessing to the deal despite his recent public requests for Spurs to sign an out-and-out striker.

Mourinho departed as Real Madrid coach in 2013, the same summer in which Bale secured his then-world-record transfer from Tottenham to the Bernabeu.

While their paths did not cross in Spain, Bale clearly has great respect for Mourinho.

When Spurs decided to hire Mourinho following the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino in November 2019, Bale claimed that the Portuguese was the right man to help Spurs end their 12-year wait for silverware.

"Having [Jose] Mourinho there is an amazing statement from the club, I think he's a serial winner,” Bale told BT Sport in December last year.

"Tottenham want to win trophies and I don't think there's a better partnership than Mourinho and Tottenham together to try and win some trophies.”

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