Jermain Defoe says Inter Milan tried to buy ‘world class’ player from Tottenham for £40m

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Gareth Bale has to be considered one of the most talented players to ever play for Tottenham.

The Welshman was a truly world-class player, and there’s a reason he’s one of the most decorated players in modern football history.

However, Bale wasn’t always the superstar we know today.

Indeed, the winger was once a struggling full-back at Spurs, he had a lengthy streak of being unable to win a game at Tottenham, and he barely even got a game for Spurs when he was younger.

However, that all changed within a matter of months in late 2010.

Bale had two breakout performances against Inter Milan in the Champions League that season that elevated him to another level, and, three years later, he would get his big-money move to Real Madrid.

However, rather than joining Los Blancos, Bale could instead have joined Inter after his incredible performances against the Italian giants.

Speaking on the On The Judy Podcast, Jermain Defoe has been reminiscing about Bale’s brilliance against Inter, and he shared that the then-European champions actually bid £40m for Bale after the game, but Spurs resisted.

Inter bid for Bale

Defoe spoke about his former teammate.

“He was meant to go on loan to Nottingham Forest and then Gaz got his chance and played in the Champions League against Inter Milan, a world class performance in both legs. That was one of the best performances I’ve seen. Did you know that they put a bid in afterwards? Inter said they wanted him for £40m. I’d never seen anything like it,” Defoe said.

The right choice

Spurs and Bale made the right choice not to take this offer at this time.

As good as Bale was always destined to be. A move to Inter at that time wouldn’t have suited him due to all the turmoil at the post-Mourinho San Siro.

Meanwhile, he was nurtured correctly at Tottenham and allowed to leave when the right offer came along – joining Real Madrid in 2013, and the rest, as they say, is history.