By SAMI MOKBEL
Pep Guardiola ready to go head to head with Real Madrid once again in the £50million race to land Gareth Bale from Tottenham.
The incoming Bayern Munich boss is having the winger scouted ahead of a sensational summer move.
Guardiola will be handed a transfer budget of more than £100m in the summer and Bayern spies are in the midst of a scouting drive of the planet’s top talent ahead of finalising a definitive list of targets.
Bale is firmly in the minds of the incoming Bayern regime.
Bale’s future has been the subject of intense speculation over the last two summers, and the Spurs star’s next move will become a hot topic again at the end of the season.
It is widely acknowledged that Real are the favourites to land the Wales man when he finally leaves White Hart Lane.
But Guardiola, who assembled the Barcelona team who have dominated Spanish and European football in recent years, is ready to rival Real for Bale.
The Spanish boss is an admirer of the 23-year-old and has been tracking his progress for a long time. The former Southampton star enhanced his glowing reputation with two stunning free-kicks in Thursday night’s 2-1 win over Lyon in the Europa League and a string of brilliant performances have made him a prime contender to land the PFA and Football Writers’ player of the year award.
‘This is probably the best I’ve been playing so far in my career,’ admitted Bale. ‘I’m enjoying my football and the team’s playing well, which obviously makes it easier for me.
‘I’ve just got to keep my head down, keep working hard. I’ve still got a lot of room for improvement.’
On speculation linking him with a move away from north London, Bale added: ‘I don’t take too much notice. I’m concentrating on every game and just hoping I can keep my form going.’
