Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas has criticised the conduct of Real Madrid in their pursuit of Gareth Bale.

Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that talks are ongoing with a world record fee rumoured to be on the table for the winger.

"I think [Ancelotti is in the wrong], in my opinion," Villas-Boas told reporters. "Carlo is a person I appreciate a lot, but bearing in mind in this situation they have decided to make it public.

"We have seen lots of people talk about a player that is not theirs and we are due some respect. These rumours of an imminent transfer are not true.

"We are building a great team for next season. We envisage the future with Gareth, but we know that in football anything is possible."

Spurs were beaten 5-2 today by Monaco in a pre-season friendly.