And the Stamford Bridge club
believe their hopes of enticing the Welsh wonder away from White
Hart Lane can be boosted by beating his current club on
Saturday.
A defeat for Tottenham would be
a devastating blow to their flickering chances of Champions League
football next season.
Bale signed a four-year deal
with Spurs last month worth £60,000 per week, and his family are
understood to feel his development would be better served by
extending his stay in N17.
But the 21-year-old, voted the
PFA Player of the Year, has not hidden his desire to play in
Europe’s elite competition next season after lighting up the
Champions League this season.
Chelsea have three main target
areas for the summer, with Ajax right-back Gregory van der Wiel the
prime target for that berth and a big-name central midfielder also
on the agenda.
The third is a flying winger
who can replicate the attacking threat of Jose Mourinho’s
title-winning side, who had Arjen Robben, Damien Duff and Joe Cole
at their disposal. Bale is seen as the ideal answer.
Tottenham will be reluctant to
sell at any price, but persuading Bale – and Luka Modric and Rafael
van der Vaart – to stay will be much harder if they cannot offer
Champions League football.
SOURCE: Daily Mirror
Harry Redknapp may indeed have his work cut out keeping all his
big stars happy if indeed Tottenham fail to secure another top four
finish, such is the speedy upturn in form shown by the North London
club over the past two seasons. Man City’s late win over Blackburn
last night left the White Hart Lane club four points from fourth
spot with just five games to play.
Carlo Ancelotti and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich appear keen
to bring in youthful signings this summer to help balance the
ageing nature of the Stamford Bridge squad. Having signed Fernando
Torres and David Luiz in January the West London club are also
looking to flex their financial muscle over the likes of Man
City.
The likes of Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda
have all been strongly linked with exits from the club and Gareth
Bale is just one of many young targets apparently on the Chelsea
radar. Ancelotti may see Bale as the ideal man to play ahead of
Ashley Cole on the left but may have their work cut out trying to
complete such a signing.
Former Southampton man Bale appears happy to continue his career
progression at Tottenham and has signed a new long term deal in
recent weeks so perhaps such speculation will be more relevant in a
year or two. Redknapp may have a tough time warding off interest in
Rafael Van der Vaart, Luka Modric and Aaron Lennon who have been
targeted by Man United and Liverpool.
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