Barca wouldn't break bank for Bale

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has broken his silence regarding the Spanish club's reported interest in Gareth Bale and said he values the Tottenham winger at less than £33 million.

Barca coach Pep Guardiola is believed to be a huge fan of Bale after watching his performances in the Champions League last season and sent chief scout Albert Valentine to assess the Wales international during Spurs' 2-1 win at Fulham last Sunday.

Tottenham have said repeatedly they are not willing to sell Bale, but interest from a number of European suitors has pushed his value up to around £50 million.

Barcelona chief Rosell would not confirm his club's interest in Bale but said if they were to make a bid the European champions would not pay over the odds.

"I do not know if Bale interests us," Rosell told Al Jazeera. "If I did, I would not say, because his price would go up, [Tottenham] would not ask for €40 million, but €50 million.

"In any case, even if we wanted him, we would never pay €40 million (£33.2 million) for him."

Bale, 22, signed for Spurs from Southampton for £7 million in 2007 and is under contract until 2015. [Soccernet.espn.go.com]

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