Tottenham director Sir Keith Mills has admitted the club are almost powerless to keep Gareth Bale if he wants to move to Real Madrid, even though he signed a new four-year contract only last summer, the London Evening Standard reports.

Real Madrid have confirmed they are in talks with Tottenham over Bale and a potential world record transfer, with Spurs said to be demanding in excess of £80million.

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has said that Bale is not for sale, but Spurs recognise any attempts to keep the Wales international against his will could be futile.

Mills told the Evening Standard: "We very much want Bale to stay. If a player is desperate to leave, it's very difficult to force him to stay. We've seen it in other clubs. Even if he has a contract, you can't force somebody to play for you."

Villas-Boas' comments prompted a report in the Spanish media that Bale would stay away from the training ground on Tuesday but they proved unfounded.