Bale signs new four-year deal to remain at Tottenham

• Wales winger targets return to Champions League
• Jan Vertonghen deal unlikely due to Ajax clause

Gareth Bale has signed a new four-year contract at Tottenham Hotspur, committing his future to the club until 2016.

The 2011 PFA Player of the Year has decided to stay at White Hart Lane for the immediate future at least, despite concerns that he might look for a move elsewhere after Spurs failed to qualify for next season's Champions League.

"I've been here for five years now and I've enjoyed every minute," said Bale. "The fans have been great to me and I'd love to repay them and do the very best for them. "The club is progressing and I want to be a part of that, so it was great to get the deal done.

"I love the club and the fans and I want to play my part in trying to get us back into the Champions League – where we belong. We've a good, young squad and we need to work together to get back on the biggest stage again."

Tottenham's hopes of signing the Belgium defender Jan Vertonghen are fading due to a clause in his Ajax contract.

Vertonghen is entitled to 15% of the agreed £9.5m transfer deal under the terms of his deal with the Dutch champions.

Ajax have indicated their reluctance to honour the clause and, while the 25-year-old still seeks a move to White Hart Lane, he is resigned to staying in Amsterdam.

"This is a shame. I thought that it would be sorted out much sooner," he told Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. "As it looks now, I'll be at Ajax on 2 July. I'm hoping for a solution, but I'm not expecting a solution.

"I have one advantage: Ajax have got a good coach who knows me. I play in a good, stable squad. Let's become champions with Ajax for the third time in a row."

Vertonghen is astonished that specific details of his contract have been released. "I'm shocked. The percentage is correct – it's unbelievable. I know that at Ajax a lot of things are leaking," he said.

"When you hear it about other football players, you don't feel it. It's different when it's about yourself." Read More