But where would that leave Tottenham? Flush with cash? Maybe. Moving forward, not so much.
The possibilities for a club earning a lump sum that size are dictated purely by circumstances and, in Spurs' case, the timing of any transaction would be crucial.
The possibilities for a club earning a lump sum that size are dictated purely by circumstances and, in Spurs' case, the timing of any transaction would be crucial.
Having finished fifth and qualified for the Europa League, we are not an attractive proposition for Europe's top players.
Signing the quality striker we need will be difficult anyway, without having to explain to them why we let our best player leave.
A well-publicised kitty of close to £100m would make matters even worse.
A well-publicised kitty of close to £100m would make matters even worse.
Just look at Liverpool, who were forced to pay Newcastle £35m for Andy Carroll having scooped £50m from Chelsea for Fernando Torres.
And now Napoli, who will have to pay well over the odds to prise target Gonzalo Higuain from Real now that everyone knows they have £55m from the sale of Edinson Cavani to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Reds had no choice but to cash in on Torres, so clear had he made his intention to leave.
Bale has expressed no such desire to leave North London - as yet. He wants Spurs back in the Champions League, he gets on with manager Andre Villas-Boas and he even spearheads the promotional campaign for the new kits.
Real regularly claim that spending huge sums on the world's best players pays for itself because of the money generated through sponsorship, shirt sales etc. So while we have one of these rare breeds in our ranks, it would be sensible to take advantage of his ever-rising stock - starting with the playing squad.
We may not be able to offer top European football but the pulling power of Brand Bale can counteract that to some degree. His stature in world football is growing rapidly and his presence has already helped to secure the signature of Brazilian midfielder Paulinho in a £17m deal.
One thing is for sure - if we do not make the top four next season Bale, the clamour for his signature will be unbearable. But, at 23, he is still going to be worth big money next summer and he is on a long-term contract, so the board need not rush into anything.
We can continue to rake it in from replica shirt sales and sponsorship deals, all the time increasing the profits from his £10m move from Southampton in 2007. And in the meantime, using his presence to bring in two more big names now would pay dividends if it propels us into the top four.
Whatever we spend in the next six weeks would easily be covered if and when Real make a bid next year and being able to offer - hopefully - Champions League football would increase the quality of the Welshman's replacements.
Selling Bale now, regardless of the size of the bid, would be counter-productive to the squad and the ambitions of the club, not to mention bad for business in the long run. Keeping him another year at least gives us the chance of cashing in when we are in a stronger position to move forward.
The game of cat and mouse is sure to intensify as the transfer deadline approaches but if we can keep hold of our asset then come next summer you never know, we may be more cat than mouse.
The Reds had no choice but to cash in on Torres, so clear had he made his intention to leave.
Bale has expressed no such desire to leave North London - as yet. He wants Spurs back in the Champions League, he gets on with manager Andre Villas-Boas and he even spearheads the promotional campaign for the new kits.
Real regularly claim that spending huge sums on the world's best players pays for itself because of the money generated through sponsorship, shirt sales etc. So while we have one of these rare breeds in our ranks, it would be sensible to take advantage of his ever-rising stock - starting with the playing squad.
We may not be able to offer top European football but the pulling power of Brand Bale can counteract that to some degree. His stature in world football is growing rapidly and his presence has already helped to secure the signature of Brazilian midfielder Paulinho in a £17m deal.
One thing is for sure - if we do not make the top four next season Bale, the clamour for his signature will be unbearable. But, at 23, he is still going to be worth big money next summer and he is on a long-term contract, so the board need not rush into anything.
We can continue to rake it in from replica shirt sales and sponsorship deals, all the time increasing the profits from his £10m move from Southampton in 2007. And in the meantime, using his presence to bring in two more big names now would pay dividends if it propels us into the top four.
Whatever we spend in the next six weeks would easily be covered if and when Real make a bid next year and being able to offer - hopefully - Champions League football would increase the quality of the Welshman's replacements.
Selling Bale now, regardless of the size of the bid, would be counter-productive to the squad and the ambitions of the club, not to mention bad for business in the long run. Keeping him another year at least gives us the chance of cashing in when we are in a stronger position to move forward.
The game of cat and mouse is sure to intensify as the transfer deadline approaches but if we can keep hold of our asset then come next summer you never know, we may be more cat than mouse.
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