Former Spurs and England defender Ledley King says speculation over the future of star player Gareth Bale will not distract the team ahead of the upcoming Premier League season.
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Real Madrid are pursuing the Tottenham midfielder with what is believed to be a world record transfer bid in excess of $130 million, with the 24-year-old Welshman reportedly keen to move to the Bernabeu. English Footballer of the Year last season, Bale signed a new four-year contract with the north London club last year and was their outstanding player, although Spurs missed out on a Champions League place by one point.
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While club ambassador King, who retired last year due to chronic knee injuries that plagued his career, would not speak directly about Bale, he said the squad would not let the uncertainty distract ahead of the new season.
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"No, as a player you're used to this. Players don't enjoy this period of time anyway, you just want the (transfer) window to be shut, obviously with what you're doing as a squad and moving forward," he told a small group of reporters.
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"But as players you are used to this time of season, you wish the window was a little bit shorter and everything was out of the way. But everyone is professional, the window is what it is. There is always going to be speculation around top players, that's the world we live in."
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Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said last week that the La Liga club were in talks with Spurs to buy Bale, with media reports suggesting a fee in excess of £85 million.
The whole Gareth Bale speculation is just taking too long so something has to be done to resolve it on time. The delay is too much.