Bale set to be accompanied on private flight by Real Madrid team-mate Sergio Reguilon, who will join Spurs on a permanent deal.

Bale completed a medical in Madrid on Thursday as he closes on a deal that will see him return to the club he left in a world-record £86m transfer seven years ago.

The Wales captain will travel to London on Friday and is expected to be accompanied on a private flight by Real Madrid team-mate Sergio Reguilon, who is set to join Spurs on a permanent deal after also completing a medical on Thursday.

Lawyers in Spain and England are working on drawing up contracts which will make Bale a Spurs player again on a season-long loan deal. Spurs have agreed to pay about £20m in wages and loan fees.

Both Bale and Reguilon are likely to meet conditions that will enable them to avoid quarantining upon their arrival in London.

Along with having arrived from an elite sporting environment where coronavirus protocols have been adhered to, the players will both need to have returned negative test results within five days prior to entering the United Kingdom.

Bale is keen to play for a club where he believes he will be respected and appreciated again.

Real Madrid have agreed to let him leave on loan in order to get his £500,000-a-week wages off their books and Tottenham have made all the running to sign him this week.

As well as being frozen out by Zinedine Zidane, Bale has had a difficult relationship with the Spanish media and Real fans, and he is looking forward to making a fresh start back at Spurs.

Manchester United considered making a move for him as a back-up option to Jadon Sancho, but they did not make an offer, even though they have tried to sign him on numerous occasions since he was at Southampton 13 years ago.

Jose Mourinho remained tight-lipped once again over Gareth Bale’s imminent return to Tottenham after Thursday’s Europa League qualifying second round victory Lokomotiv Plovdiv.

“I cannot comment, I don’t comment on something that I don’t know,” the Portuguese said.

“For me, at this moment, until I’m told Gareth Bale is a Tottenham player, I still think and feel and respect the fact that he’s a Real Madrid player, so I’m not going to comment on a Real Madrid player.”