The powers-that-be at Inter Milan are not willing to meet Tottenham Hotspur’s valuation of Gareth Bale, who sporting director Marco Branca admits they admire.
Bale scored a hat-trick in Tottenham’s 4-3 Champions League loss at Inter in the autumn and scored again when Spurs beat the Italian champions 3-1 in the reverse fixture, games which really brought the Welsh international winger to the attention of world football.
It was reported this week that Leonardo’s side will look to sign the former Southampton man in the summer. However, Branca says the £40million fee that Spurs would want, were they to consider selling their star asset, is too high for them to do anything about their admiration in the foreseeable future.
"The Tottenham chairman sent me a nice message saying that £40million is not enough for Bale," Branca told Sky Italia.
"He is a player we like and that we monitor, but the price is not compatible with our strategies."
Inter have recently completed a deal for striker Giampaolo Pazzini from Sampdoria, while also loaning in Genoa midfielder Houssine Kharja.