LONDON — While Gareth Bale will be welcomed back with open arms by Tottenham Hotspur fans it will also be with a tinge of regret at what might have been had he never left the club.

When Real Madrid came knocking in 2013 armed with a 100-million-euro ($118.37 million) cheque, Bale was at his marauding all-action best, scoring spectacular solo goals and motoring down the flanks like a super-charged sportscar.

At times he was unplayable.

Tottenham Hotspur have signed winger Gareth Bale and left back Sergio Reguilon from Spanish champions Real Madrid, the Premier League club announced in a statement on Saturday.

Bale. Is. Back.

MADRID — Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said he did not say anything to Gareth Bale before he left to sign for Tottenham Hotspur but insisted he had no personal issue with the Wales forward and praised what he did for the Spanish club.

Bale travelled to London on Friday to finalise a return to Tottenham on loan after seven years at Real which witnessed a remarkable haul of trophies and goals but ended with the player barely featuring at the end of last season.

Tottenham Hotspur are in talks with Real Madrid to re-sign winger Gareth Bale, his agent said on Tuesday, as the Wales international looks to end his troubled spell at the Spanish club.

Bale made over 200 appearances for Premier League Spurs between 2007 and 2013, scoring 56 goals with 58 assists before his then world record move to Real for 100 million euros ($118.46 million).

Gareth Bale will consider a return to the Premier League if his current club Real Madrid allow him to end his stint in Spain, the Wales international has said.

The 31-year-old was on the verge of leaving for Chinese club Jiangsu Suning last year before the deal fell through and he barely featured for Real in their run to the LaLiga title when the campaign resumed after the COVID-19 stoppage.

Despite winning four Champions League titles with Real, Bale has divided opinion in Spain because of a perceived lack of commitment and poor injury record.

BREMEN, Germany — Werder Bremen extended its 39-year stay in the Bundesliga for at least another 10 days on Saturday, when it thumped Cologne 6-1 to avoid automatic relegation, including a Josh Sargent goal to cap things off.

The four-times Bundesliga champions completed the first half of what could become a great escape as they climbed out of the drop zone and leapfrogged Fortuna Duesseldorf to finish 16th in the 18-team table.

Unlike Emmanuel Adebayor, Gareth Bale and wife Emma have decided to donate some of their money to help those in need. The Bales are donating over $1 million and splitting it between the National Health Service in Wales and health services in Madrid.

Bale has been in Madrid on lockdown since early March. Along with the donation, he also teamed up with the NHS and thanked them for all of their work in a video posted earlier in April.