Gareth Bale happy at Tottenham 'for time being' as Spanish giants loom

Bale, whose contract expires in 2015, is one of the most sought after players in Europe and the Spanish rivals are reportedly prepared to pay him more than £100,000 a week to encourage him to move to La Liga next season.

Spurs don't want to sell their prize asset - and showed last summer during Chelsea's pursuit of Luka Modric that they will not be bullied into selling their stars but would consider an offer in excess of £50million.

However, the uncertainty over manager Harry Redknapp's could make it harder to keep Bale happy at White Hart Lane. Redknapp, who is believed to have gone abroad for a few days, is expected to take the England job at the end of the season following Fabio Capello's resignation last week.

In an interview with Espn, Bale said: "At the moment we are going in the right direction and it is a very exciting time. We have quite a young squad and we're still building. We have a new training ground coming next year and there are plans for a new stadium so it is all heading in the right direction.

"For the time being I'm happy at Tottenham, we're playing good football. We are right up there and closer to challenging for the Premier League. There is no reason why we can't keep progressing."

Bale admitted he has modelled his game on the world's most expensive player, Real Madrid's £80m striker Cristiano Ronaldo, who took his game to new heights after converting from a winger to a more central role.

The Welshman has made the same move for certain games this season and it has played a key part in the success of Spurs, who beat Newcastle 5-0 on Saturday to stay within seven points of leaders Manchester City.

He added: "I spoke about it before (with Redknapp) but the main person I have spoken to is my agent. He has watched me. If you look at the likes of Ronaldo, when he started out wide and he got really good, people began to double up on him. He had to come inside, try and change his game and get on the ball and influence the game another way.

"Last season it was becoming a bit annoying for me because a lot of teams were putting a midfielder right in front of me and a full-back behind. It's hard to get the ball out wide when people are just standing there and there is no space.

"I wanted to come inside and become more involved, to come and get the ball and have an effect on the game. Thankfully I have progressed this season and I am able to do that now."

Bale is expected to be rested along with Ledley King for Sunday's FA Cup fifth round tie at League One Stevenage ahead of the north London derby a week later.