REAL MADRID GOALKEEPER Iker Casillas insists that Gareth Bale will be welcomed at the club should he move from Tottenham.
Madrid are long-term admirers of Bale, and are reported to have made a world-record bid in an attempt to bring the winger to the Bernabeu.
Spurs are thought to be holding out for a fee in excess of £100million, but Ancelotti has been tight-lipped on the matter after previous comments riled Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas.
Casillas feels Real have a squad capable of competing on both the domestic and European fronts, but would be happy to see Bale added to their ranks.
“The current squad is complete in every area but if a player like Bale comes along, he’ll be welcomed,” Casillas told AS. “We still don’t know if it’s official or not. There has been a lot of talk about it in the last few days, just like in every pre-season.
“Last year it was Modric and now it’s ‘the Bale saga’. The president (Florentino Perez) and (general director) Jose Angel Sanchez always do everything to try and bring the best players to the club.”
However, Casillas is not guaranteed of a place in the starting line-up, after Ancelotti admitted he had not decided who will be first choice goalkeeper this season. The Spain international produced a strong display in Real’s 3-1 International Champions Cup Final win over Chelsea on Wednesday.
Still, he could find himself on the bench come the start of the campaign, with Diego Lopez – who replaced the injured Casillas in January last term – also vying for a spot in the side.
“Casillas made a great stop in the second half and had a great game,” Ancelotti said. “It is not decided because Diego Lopez will play on Saturday and we will see in the first official game.”
