The same newspaper that broke with a shock exclusive on Thursday regarding Inter Milan’s plan to lodge a £40 million bid for Gareth Bale in the summer are now reporting that Harry Redknapp is determined to keep hold of his star player.

Bale has well and truly emerged as a world class talent this term with a series of outstanding performances in a Tottenham shirt, particularly in the two Champions League matches against Inter Milan.

It has led to the Italian champions seemingly wanting to sign the Welshman, with Real Madrid also rumoured to be interested in Bale, although The Guardian report that Redknapp won’t sell at any price.

“You have special players in your team and if you’re going to be a top team you’ve got to keep your top players,” said Redknapp. “We can’t go selling Gareth Bale, in all honesty. You’ve got three or four players who can make the difference and he’s one of those players. If you lose him, how are you going to replace him?

“When he gets the ball, he can do something that no one else can do. You can’t afford to lose him and if you sell him the moment you sell him it sends out the wrong signals.”