Chelsea to battle Tottenham Hotspur to sign Real Madrid attacker?

Chelsea are reportedly prepared to join Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale during the summer transfer window.

The Wales international is currently in his sixth season at the Bernabeu, but the return of Zinedine Zidane has triggered concerns that he could leave the Madrid giants.

According to Don Balon, Bale is said to be content with his proceedings at the European champions but that has not ended the interest from the Premier League duo.

It is added that the Blues hold the slight advantage over Spurs in signing the Welshman, given they could seek to pursue him in a part-exchange deal for Eden Hazard.

Hazard has just 15 months remaining on his existing deal with the west London giants and reports have indicated that the Blues could sanction his sale for a £120m fee in the summer.

Los Blancos could significantly reduce on that valuation by offering Bale as a makeweight but it remains unclear whether the attacker would fancy a return to the English top-flight.

Still, any transfer move to the Blues may depend on whether they can overcome a two-window ban. They are currently awaiting the result of their appeal to FIFA.