Gareth Bale: Tottenham re-sign Real Madrid forward on loan

Tottenham have re-signed Wales forward Gareth Bale from Spanish champions Real Madrid on a season-long loan.

He originally joined Tottenham as a 17-year-old from Southampton in 2007 for an initial payment of £5m.

Bale has also won two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, three Uefa Super Cups and three Club World Cups with Real.

He remains the most expensive British player in history, as well as the top-scoring British player in La Liga - with 80 goals and 40 assists in 171 league appearances, averaging a goal or assist every 104 minutes.

However, a run of injuries, indifferent form and a deteriorating relationship with manager Zinedine Zidane had seen Bale become a marginal figure.

From the world's most expensive signing to a player on the fringes

Real eclipsed the £80m they paid Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009 to take Bale to the Bernabeu, with the forward signing an initial £300,000-per-week, six-year contract.

He extended his stay with a new six-year deal in 2016, reported to be worth £600,000 a week - and £150m over its duration - in salaries and bonuses.

The Welshman was hugely successful in his first few seasons at Real, scoring in the 2014 and 2018 Champions League finals, as well as the 2014 Copa del Rey final.

BBC Sport readers voted Bale as the best British export of the Premier League era earlier this year, his 42% share comfortably eclipsing former England, Manchester United and Real Madrid winger David Beckham's 29%.

More to follow.

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