Zinedine Zidane has urged Gareth Bale to submit a transfer request to Spurs, if the Welsh forward feels he would want a move to Real Madrid.

Zidane, a sporting director at the Bernabeu, told the Sunday People: “I think Real Madrid have made their admiration of Gareth Bale very clear – and it has been made clear that we would not be put off by the cost of the player.

“But if Gareth feels now is the time to move then he has to have a private discussion with his club and express that he wants to leave.”

Real Madrid are reportedly willing to offer up to £85m for the player, although Spurs remain resistant to losing their prized asset. The side’s failure to finish in the top 4 in last season’s Premier League is seen as a potentially fatal blow to the club’s ambitions to retain Bale.