Bale left out of Tottenham squad for Monaco friendly

The Welshman has not travelled to the south of France with the rest of Andre Villas-Boas' squad as he continues to edge closer towards a world record transfer to Real Madrid

Tottenham forward Gareth Bale has been left out of the club's squad for its preseason friendly with Monaco.

The 24-year-old forward is believed to be nursing a minor injury but his absence will only add more fuel to the speculation over his big-money move to Real Madrid.

Spurs have opened talks with the Liga outfit over a 100 million-pound sale, with club officials increasingly convinced the Welshman will leave this summer.

However, club chairman Daniel Levy has been adamant all summer that the club's prize asset would not be sold under any circumstances.

Tottenham plans to use a significant percentage of the world record transfer fee offered by Los Blancos to recruit four new players.