Speculation has long reigned over Gareth Bale's future at Real Madrd and Zinedine Zidane has claimed that a decision will be made over the Welshman's situation in the summer.
The 29-year-old has been at the Bernabeu since 2013 but has never truly won over fans in Madrid despite crucial goals in a number of finals.
As such rumours of a return to the Premier League have rarely been far away and they were exacerbated by Zidane's return to the Los Blancos hotseat.
Reports emerged during the Frenchman's tenure of a strained relationship with Bale.
The 46-year-old boss has sympathy for Bale's situation but said his focus had to remain on the current season for now.
Pep Guardiola reveals what he said when Liverpool scored their last-gasp winner against Spurs
Zidane told reporters: "I know whistles are never good, I’ve been whistled at, you have to accept it. You have to have the character for it.
"About Gareth’s future, we’ll talk about that at the end of the season. We have to finish the season then we’ll see."
Those comments follow Zidane's suggesting their could be chances in the future.
He said: "Gareth is an important member of the squad. We know what he has done here, even in Champions League finals.
"Nobody can take away what he has done. We know he can bring a lot to the team, and we will count on him.
New Tottenham stadium: Opening time, finding your way around & what's planned for Palace opener
"We are going to play these games, and then we will see. That does not mean that, afterwards, there will be changes"
The Real Madrid coach was clear however, about the future of Raphael Varane who has been closely linked to Manchester United.
"I want him to stay," Zidane said.
"We don’t want a Madrid without Varane. He’s a young player and he seems fine to me, he has not told me otherwise."
Ex-Spurs star explains why Arsenal will finish below Tottenham & Man United in top four race
Keep up to date with the latest Tottenham Hotspur news, features and exclusives from football.london via our free WhatsApp service .
Text NEWS to 07776197989 and then add the number to your phone contacts book as spurs dot london (case sensitive, with spaces) to receive daily updates and breaking news from Alasdair Gold and the team on Spurs.
Your phone number won't be shared with any other members of the group. Click here for more information on the service.
