Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti should not have made public the Spanish club’s attempts to sign Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Gareth Bale, the Premier League side’s coach Andre Villas-Boas said.
Ancelotti revealed during a news conference at Real’s training camp in Los Angeles last week that they were in talks with Spurs to buy Bale amid speculation the Wales player was poised to move to Spain for a world record fee.
Asked if he felt Ancelotti was in the wrong, Villas-Boas said: “I think so, in my opinion.
“Carlo is a person I appreciate a lot and we have great respect for each other, but bearing in mind this situation they have decided to make it public.
“Normally in situations like this it is scrutinised by the FA with lots of care and attention.
“We have seen lots of people speak about a player that is not theirs and we are due some respect,” added the Portuguese coach.
“These rumours of an imminent transfer are not true. The only thing we have communicated with Real Madrid is that he is our player and he is not for sale.”
Villas-Boas was speaking at a news conference after Tottenham had lost 5-2 in a friendly away to Monaco on Saturday although the 24-year-old Bale did not travel for the match due to injury.
“Gareth is a guy I really like. We are talking with Real Madrid because there is respect between the two clubs following the transfer last season of Luka Modric,” added Villas-Boas.
“We are building a great team for next season. We envisage the future with Gareth.
“But we know that in football anything is possible,” he added.
Media in Spain and England have reported that Real are prepared to offer a world-record fee of almost €100 million for the English Footballer of the Year.
That would eclipse the fee of about €90 million that the world’s richest club by income agreed to pay Manchester United for Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.
“It is difficult to talk about Bale because at the moment he is not a Real Madrid player,” Ancelotti was quoted as saying last week.
“I believe the club is in talks to find a solution and we will see what happens.
“I am not used to talking about players who are not in my team and it would not be right to do so,” added the Italian, who said he had not spoken to Bale.
Meanwhile, former Tottenham manager George Graham views Bale’s departure from White Hart Lane as inevitable.
“I think he’ll go, there’s no question about it,” Graham said.
“The money they’re talking about is a bit inflated, but he’s a top class player, one of the best in the world.
“If he wants to go, Tottenham will push the price as high as they possibly can.
“They need a top class centre forward, that’s one of the reasons why they finished fifth last season. They need more firepower up front and the sooner they get it the better.”