Gareth Bale Photo: VCG

"Going into the Euros I wanted to be match-fit," Gareth Bale told the media after joining up with the Wales squad for the international break. "The original plan was to do a season at Spurs and after the Euros still have a year left at Real Madrid.

"My plan is to go back, that's as far I have planned."

The question is not what Bale has planned but what Real Madrid have planned, which is rumoured to be the pursuit of PSG's Kylian Mbappe and Borussia Dortmund's Erling Braut Haaland.

Zidane is no fan of Bale and the Welshman hardly featured in the last two seasons, coming close to signing for Chinese Super League side Jiangsu.

Spurs reportedly want to extend the loan that saw their prodigal son return but there is no deal to extend the season-long loan and Real Madrid would surely want to renegotiate the current contract that sees Spurs pay around half of the forward's 600,000 pounds per week wages.

"Gareth is a player on loan until the end of the season. Not one second of discussion," Spurs boss Jose Mourinho said in January. 

"We are speaking about, of course, Gareth himself, Real Madrid and Tottenham, but I promise you, not one second of discussion."

Mourinho spoke again earlier this month.

"In relation to that you should contact your colleagues in Madrid and they should ask Zidane as he is a Real Madrid player," Mourinho told the media.

"He is not a Tottenham player so Real Madrid have everything in their hands. They have a player with one year of contract and have the power in their hands.

"I just have a player on loan and I am trying to take the best out of the player for Tottenham Hotspur.

"We try to take care of the player we have on loan for us but also for the respect we have for the club who loans the player.

"If you want to ask anything about Gareth's future ask your colleagues in Madrid to ask Zidane."

Bale for his part has always wanted to return to the Spanish capital. 

"He still loves Madrid," Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett told the Goal news website last month.

"He hasn't problems with the club, it's a wonderful club. It wouldn't be a problem [for him to return]. They just have to decide if they need him back, if he can play for Madrid and all these things. I guess you have to ask Mr Zidane if he wants him, I don't think so."

Bale was adamant that his future at club level would have no impact on his country's World Cup qualifiers.

"There's no distraction for me," Bale said when asked. 

"I think the main reason I came to Spurs this year was to play football first and foremost."

"I always think when things aren't going too well at your club it's nice to get away," Bale added. "Especially mentally, it can definitely be a benefit to get away from the club environment.

"Definitely it can be a benefit. We focus on these games for Wales, which are very important for us. We forget club life and concentrate on this."

Bale has been in fine form in recent weeks and several clubs will be in for his signature should he become available in the summer. Is he back to his best?

"Time will tell," Bale told Sky Sports after scoring twice in a 4-1 win over Crystal Palace in the English Premier League earlier this month. "I'm not 21 anymore. It is what it is.

"I'm just going to keep working hard every game, taking each game as it comes, and we'll go from there.

"Your body changes over time. You haven't got that kind of youthfulness where you can recover quickly and keep going sprinting for 90 minutes.

"You learn your body as you get older and that's what I'm having to do. I feel good. It takes a bit of time sometimes, but I'm experienced enough to be patient. It is what it is.

"You have to feel good, and you have to feel good then to take your opportunities.

"Football's a strange thing; you can go through bad form and good form. It's just about being patient, and when you get your chance, try to take it."

His chance in the immediate future is with Wales and their return to the World Cup for the first time in six decades.

"Coming into my Wales career the main thing was to play in a major tournament. We've managed to do that and now to be able to tick ­everything off the list it would be to qualify for a World Cup," the 31-year-old said.

"We don't want to just qualify for one or two tournaments but want to keep qualifying and making sure we're pushing Wales in the right direction. For me, to qualify for a World Cup would be amazing."

This dream will be helped by having a fit Bale at their disposal.

"Over the last few years this is probably the most match fitness I've had.

But it is still a dream, something which Bale is well aware of.

"Obviously, realistically that's not going to happen, but why not?

"I remember playing Ireland [in 2018 World Cup qualification]. I was up in the stands and it was very frustrating, I felt like I was kicking every ball.

"It was obviously difficult after the game to have the loss and the dream of World Cup qualifying end.

"Hopefully we can draw on those experiences in a positive way and use that hurt to push us even harder this time around.

"It might be the last time my generation has the opportunity to qualify for a World Cup.

"We haven't done that as a country for a long time and it's something that the players dream of doing. We'll give everything we can to do that."