Tottenham remind Madrid about friendly match agreed during Bale's 2013 transfer

For the second summer in succession, Real Madrid will hold their pre-season at Valdebebas, although they have been reminded by Tottenham that they have a friendly match clause stretching back from Gareth Bale's 2013 transfer between the two clubs.

Eight years have passed since Los Blancos came to an agreement with Daniel Levy on the terms of a deal to sign Bale, and one of the clauses mandated that Real Madrid would travel to North London to play a friendly match against the Premier League club.

Even though Bale's own future with the Spanish giant is unclear, this match will have to be played at some point, otherwise Real Madrid would be at risk of legal action.

Common sense would suggest that Spurs will be happy to wait until they can have a full crowd at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for such an occasion, although that would mean waiting at least one more season, with COVID-19 still an issue across the globe.

The 2021 pre-season is going to be a difficult one for most elite clubs, with players representing their respective nations at the European Championship, Copa America and Tokyo Olympic Games.