Gareth Bale: Interest from Barcelona is "nice"

Gareth Bale has said he is flattered by recent reports linking him with Barcelona.

The La Liga side are thought to be plotting a bid of around £35m for the Spurs winger during the January transfer window, although his current club value him at £50m.

"It's always nice being linked with clubs such as Barcelona - it's great to be linked with a team like that," said Bale, 22. "I'm enjoying my football at Spurs and I don't really take much notice of what is written about interest from other clubs."

Bale added that he is hoping for a top four finish this season to guarantee Champions League action next year.

"The Champions League is obviously where I want to be playing," he said. "We've got a great chance of qualifying this season, especially with the manager playing young players in the Europa League and giving us the freshness to play in the Premier League.

"We've had a great start to the season. The main thing we want to achieve is the top four - anything above that is obviously a bonus."

Spurs next take on Aston Villa at White Hart Lane on Monday night.