Tottenham will be making another costly mistake if they do not break the bank to keep Gareth Bale this summer, according to former star David Ginola.
Ginola became a Tottenham icon during his three-year spell at Spurs, terrorising full-backs on the same left wing where Bale has done most of his damage this season. The Welshman has scored 27 goals for club and country this term, prompting speculation that Real Madrid will bid for the 23-year-old star.
"They are going to have offers on the table, but if you want to keep being successful it is important that you keep your best assets and Gareth Bale is one of them," said Ginola, who played 127 times for Spurs.
Bale will be out for two weeks after he suffered an ankle injury against Basle on Thursday, but Ginola still expects a flood of big-money offers, including one from Paris Saint Germain, to come in for the pacy forward this summer.
Ginola has watched on in despair over the last few years as Spurs have been tempted to part with star players like Dimitar Berbatov and Luka Modric after receiving big-money offers. The Frenchman does not want to see the same happen with Bale this summer.
Ginola added: "Spurs have made mistakes in the past like selling Berbatov, Modric and Rafael van der Vaart. Let's not do mistakes any more. Last summer they were minus two very important key players and they had to rebuild the midfield."
Although Bale only signed a new four-year contract last summer, it has been reported that Spurs are willing to sit down with their star man and discuss the possibility of a new deal.
Spurs are unwilling to smash their pay ceiling to shell out the huge sums of money on offer at Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea. Ginola thinks they must make an exception for Bale given his importance to the squad.
"You have to break the piggy bank and spend it on Bale," the former Newcastle man said.
"It will be a question of money. Knowing the salary cap at Spurs it will be complicated because if you are a player you can get an offer from a club that is four or five times more than you currently earn, but he is a Spurs player and he could still be over the next few years."
Source: PA
