Gareth Bale's sensational return to Tottenham Hotspur may only be a temporary one, according to emerging reports...

What's the word?

Spanish outlet AS have claimed that the Welsh superstar is keeping an eye on developments at parent club, Real Madrid, as manager Zinedine Zidane's future is put under scrutiny.

If the 48-year-old is sacked or leaves the La Liga giants before the summer, then it could open the door for Bale to return to the Bernabeu for one final swansong. Madrid president Florentino Perez remains a massive fan.

Now valued at just £22.5m by Transfermarkt, the veteran winger has 18 months to run on his current deal in Spain.

Big blow to all

Jose Mourinho has been easing Bale back into the swing of things in north London very slowly, after all, he missed a large chunk of last term as well as pre-season through injury.

He's played just 509 minutes in nine appearances, primarily featuring in the Europa League. In all competitions, Bale has found the net twice but is currently being outshone by the form of prolific duo Heung-min Son and Harry Kane.

The 31-year-old will still have a massive part to play as the season goes on, especially if Mourinho has to balance the prospects of a genuine title challenge alongside success in Europe.

He's ideally someone Spurs should want to keep past his current loan agreement too, even more so on chairman Daniel Levy's part as the revenue generated alone from shirt sales, merchandising and tickets from the popular legend is too much to ignore financially.

Gary Mabbutt told Football FanCast that Bale had "changed the dynamics of the dressing room" in an exclusive interview, which only adds further weight to keeping the £220k-per-week sensation around for the long-term.

Earlier in the campaign, Owen Hargreaves waxed lyrical about the wide man on BT Sport (via the Boot Room), he said:

"Out wide, he’s got to be tracking back but with his fitness, he isn’t going to do that. In the no. 10 role, he is closer to the goal and that’s what you want. He could be unplayable."

Whilst in the past he's been described as everything from a "cannonball" by Arsene Wenger to "special" by Mark Lawrenson, as per the Guardian.

This is a player that Spurs need to keep hold of, so it's a worrying sign to see that he may well not be finished at Madrid just yet.

AND in other news, Levy should cash in on £23m "liability" as he's 'not the answer'...