KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTING: In an age of global economic austerity and football’s own financial fair play, the president of the Spanish league is all in favour of Real Madrid bidding E100m for Gareth Bale.

The record nine-times European champions have been stepping up the pressure in pursuit of the Tottenham and Wales forward. LFP president Javier Tebas is not only embarrassed but looking forward to this and more such high-profile purchases.

Gareth Bale: football man in demand

The indebtedness of a majority of Spanish clubs was not an issue, he has said, as long as clubs can afford to play the top end of the transfer market as can Madrid and their president Florentino Perez.

Tebas said: “Of course it would be immoral for a club to pay money it did not have and we are talking about an important sum of money here. But if Madrid have the cash, then that’s fine.

“I would be very happy if La Liga has the world’s best players rather than seeing them in the English Premier League. To have players such as Gareth Bale here in Spain would help both maintain the value of broadcasting rights and fill our stadia.”

Contract extension

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has remained adamant that Bale will not be sold even though the Welshman has indicated a wish to speak to Madrid who have yet to submit a written offer. Bale has three years left on his current contract after signing an extension only last season.

Madrid, who would prefer a cash plus players deal, could bargain with the offer of including Luka Modric in the package; the Croat left Tottenham for Madrid a year ago but, despite a dramatic goal at Old Trafford in the Champions League, could not command a regular starting role in a talent-stuffed midfield.

On the other hand, Modric may prefer to wait on a possible Manchester United offer (following rebuffs over Thiago Alcantara and Cesc Fabregas) than take a step back in his career.

Tebas was speaking after the annual congress of the LFP. Significantly he indicated a retreat on earlier promises of a rebalancing of the way in which TV cash in split among Spanish clubs.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are free to negotiate their own price which, the other clubs object, reduces their own ability to generate significant sums.

The rest want a central marketing system introduced but Tebas thought this could prove counter-productive.

He said: “If you take E150m away from Barcelona and Madrid can they hang on to players such as Neymar and Messi or will they go, instead, to Manchester or Paris Saint-Germain? Will they still be competitive in European competition?

“We are going to reorganise the distribution of TV cash but that’s not to guarantee that suddenly the league is going to become competitive.”

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