Gareth Bale may be focused on trying to emulate his country’s historic Euro 2016 run to the semi-finals when this year's tournament kicks off this week, but the Welshman will likely still be considering his next club move.
The 31-year-old returned to Tottenham on loan from Real Madrid last summer, and faces a tough decision on what to do next in his career.
In fact, Bale's last big transfer decision saw him go the other way, when he left Spurs for Madrid in 2013, a decision that, according to Alan Shearer, ultimately paid off.
“We’ve seen the best of Gareth Bale. His best was unbelievable and what a career he had, and what a decision he made when he went to Real Madrid, it all worked out well for him there in terms of winning trophies,” said Shearer, whilst speaking on the BBC Match of the Day Top 10 Podcast.
“He was a great talent, he scored some great goals and he was a huge part of what Wales did in the last tournament, but I don’t think they have enough in their squad to get it going the way they did a few years ago.”
Shearer's comments come after rumours in Spain suggested that Bale could retire from football after the Euros. However, the player’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, quickly quashed those reports.
“As usual in the Spanish press, it is not very reliable news, so I’m not surprised,” he told MadridistaReal.
There is a chance that Bale could still play for Tottenham as - until July at least - the club have first refusal for him. However, now that Carlo Ancelotti has been appointed as Zinedine Zidane’s successor, there’s also the possibility of a fresh start at Real Madrid.
It could be a key transfer decision for Spurs, who may look to bring back the man who scored 16 goals in all competitions last season, despite a regular and consistent run of games.
Bale himself has remained coy regarding his future whilst on international break, and has yet to refuse any of those options.
"I know Carlo Ancelotti, he's a great manager, I get on with him really well, we had some great times in the past," he said.
"But I haven't spoken to anybody. I'm not thinking about my future.
"As soon as the Euros finish, I'm sure I'll have a conversation and then I'll go from there but I'm not thinking about anything until after the Euros."
Spurs will have to act quickly if they wish to make Bale’s return a permanent one.
