Gareth Bale contract leak suggests Real Madrid covered up price to appease Cristiano Ronaldo

Documents released by website Football Leaks suggest that the former Tottenham Hotspur winger is the world's most expensive footballer

Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale (GETTY IMAGES)

Gareth Bale may have cost more money than Cristiano Ronaldo, which would confirm that he is the world’s most expensive footballer, and the club attempted to cover up his fee, according to documents released by website Football Leaks.

The website has gained access to contractual agreements between a series of high-profile clubs and players and, on Wednesday, published what appears to be a six-page document relating to the Real Madrid winger’s move from Tottenham Hotspur.

The details of Bale’s transfer, reported by AS on Thursday, suggest that the fee ultimately amounted to €100,759,418, after Real opted to pay in instalments rather than up front.

This would eclipse the signing of Ronaldo, who cost around €96million when he joined the club from Manchester United in 2009.

Real, however, have always claimed that Bale’s deal totalled €91.59 million, which would not be enough to topple his team-mate as the world’s most expensive footballer.

According to AS, the document specifies that the club would issue a press release stating that the deal was €91.59million and also says that Tottenham were prohibited from revealing details about the transfer.

The news will increase speculation that Real have covered up the true value of Bale's transfer fee in an effort to appease Ronaldo.

Earlier this month, the Sunday Times journalist Jonathan Northcroft claimed that he was asked not to refer to Bale’s transfer fee while interviewing the Wales international.

"Real Madrid are a club so worried about image that when I interviewed Bale it was requested to me, 'don't put in the article how much Gareth Bale cost’,” he told BBC Radio Five Live.

"The reason for that is because it was a world record transfer fee but Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't like to see that someone else cost more than him."

Jonathan Barnett, Bale’s agent, has been angered by the release of the sensitive documents, according to the Daily Telegraph.