Tottenham Hotspur defender Michael Dawson has insisted that the club need to keep hold of prolific Gareth Bale.

The Wales international has been heavily linked with a move to Spain following reports that La Liga champions Real Madrid are ready to spend £70m on the 23-year-old.

"Tottenham have got to keep Bale," Dawson told talkSPORT. "But you have to keep all of your best players if you want to be playing in the Champions League regularly and fighting to finish as high as you can in the Premier League.

"Gareth has been brilliant. He's been linked to here, there and everywhere, but when a player is playing as well as he is, that's going to happen. He's a Tottenham player and long may that continue."

Meanwhile, Spurs are close to securing Champions League football for next season as they currently sit in third place in the Premier League table.