Villas-Boas wants to have Bale for next season

Tottenham Hotspur coach Andre Villas-Boas Tuesday refused to confirm or deny whether the English Premier League side has received a bid for Gareth Bale and said he was determined not to lose the Welshman this summer.

"Bale is a player that we are willing to continue to have and he is one of the most fantastic players in the world at the moment and we are counting on him for the future," said Villas-boas ahead of the Barclays Asia Trophy, which will be played in Hong Kong Wednesday and Saturday, reports Xinhua.

Bale has been linked with a move to Manchester United or Real Madrid and according to the coach, Bale will not play against Sunderland Wednesday due to a knock in training and will play some part Sunday, when Spurs will face Manchester City or local club South China.

The Portuguese manager also confirmed that Spurs are in talks to sign Valencia and Spain striker Roberto Soldado but denied a deal was imminent.

"At the moment, Soldado is just one of the players we are interested in." said Villas-Boas. "We have been looking for a striker to strengthen our squad."

"Soldado is one of the players we have been following and his career speaks for itself. I think he's a great striker but there isn't any deal being struck at the moment, just interest and conversations."