Spurs shut out Manchester United, put up 70m pound tag on Bale

London: Issuing a firm `hands of `approach, Tottenham Hotspur`s chairman Daniel Levy has told Manchester United that it will cost them 70 million pounds to sign their star winger Gareth Bale.

Spurs is determined to keep their prize asset and will open talks on a new deal for Bale in the summer, under which Bale`s pay may shoot up from 90,000 pounds-a week to 1,50,000 pounds. Although United had reportedly made a top-level inquiry for Bale, who is a strong contender to win both the PFA Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year awards this season, the club has been discouraged from pursuing the Welsh footballer because of Tottenham`s soaring evaluation. Bale has also been touted as a potential successor to Cristiano Ronaldo at Madrid, if the Portugal star was to leave, although Tottenham`s stance at the moment is that Bale must stay at the club. United have also been examining the possibility of an Old Trafford return for Cristiano Ronaldo , sold to Real Madrid for a world-record 80 million pounds, although boss Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted that the financial implications make that an unlikely scenario too. ANI