Real Madrid 'to complete Gareth Bale capture within hours'

Tottenham Hotspur star Gareth Bale is mere hours away from becoming a Real Madrid player, it has been claimed.

Sky Sports Spanish football correspondent Guillem Balague made the claim on Twitter following weeks of intense speculation.

Los Blancos were previously reported to have had a bid of £93m plus left-back Fabio Coentrao accepted for the Wales international.

That figure would eclipse the £80m sum that Madrid paid Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009, a deal which made the Portuguese forward the most expensive player of all time.

Bale missed Spurs' opening-weekend victory over Crystal Palace with a foot injury, but is said to have played his last game for the North London outfit.