Sorry, I think we need a reality check here; IF a club like Real Madrid/Barca come knocking, the chances are any and ever player in the PL would sit up and listen - it's not just the huge wages they can pay, it's also the lifestyle - sun, Mediterranean life style, bigger global exposure which directly feeds into endorsements and post-retirement exposure.
And that's not even taking into account the tax treatment that they still can get away with because of the way Spain allows image/overseas marketing payments for rights.
Bale earns in the region of 600,000 Euro's a week, only paying about 25-30% tax on it; sums we cannot even think about matching; which is why I thought it was laughable that some thought we could get him back.
Like it or not, we're not in that class and when a player hits the two year mark and isn't signing a new deal, we'll look to sell - which I entirely agree with.
What we have to improve is how we spend the money after being forced to sell.
Liverpool sold at the top end for a player some thought was irreplaceable - but the way they've spent since, whilst the goalkeeping money looks like madness - at the moment, he's hardly been missed.
That's what we have to achieve when we're forced to sell.
We are on the cusp of being a top-line club, but competing with the likes of the European giants financially or being as attractive maybe a lifetime away.