Tottenham lose to Monaco in Club Friendly

Posted on August 4, 2013 by SoccerPunter

Gareth Bale was absent in the club friendly match which Tottenham Hotspur lost 5-2 to Monaco.

His absence prompted speculation that he is on the verge of joining Real Madrid next week in a world record transfer worth 100 million euros.

Newly recruited Spanish striker, Roberto Soldado, did not feature in this club friendly.

Tottenham Hotspur struggled to contain Monaco, the newly promoted France Ligue 1 club is coached by former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri.

Radamel Falcao, a former top striker from Atletico Madrid, scored two goals for Monaco.

Monaco were a goal ahead after 15 minutes when Italian defender Andrea Raggi volleyed beneath Hugo Lloris in the Tottenham goal.

Two minutes after the interval, Argentine winger Lucas Ocampos got in front of Harry Kane to head home.

In the 49th minute Falcao scored his first goal of the night, a simple tap in from a pass by Ocampos.

Kane pulled one back for 3-1 just before the hour, but Falcao restored the three-goal cushion with a 15-yard drive which screamed past Lloris.

It was 5-1 after 71 minutes when midfielder Mounir Obbadi finished off a three-man break.

Andros Townsend hit a long-distance screamer with five minutes left to reduce the deficit to 5-2.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is due to sit down for his first face-to-face talks with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez in Miami next week, possibly on Wednesday, The Times suggested on Saturday, to hammer out the Bale deal.

Real are keen to see Bale at the Bernabeu ahead of their opening league game against Real Betis on August 18.

Bale is set to become the most expensive player of all time, an honour currently held by Cristiano Ronaldo, who moved from Manchester United to Real for 94 million euros ($125 million, £82 million) in 2009.

Levy is reportedly holding out for a transfer fee in excess of £105 million while Real are looking to strike a deal at around £85 million with a makeweight, possibly Fabio Coentrao, thrown in.