By:Pradeep Bhujel
If certain reports regarding the future of Tottenham Hotspur wantaway midfielder Luka Modric are true, it appears that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has blinked in the game of chicken with Real Madrid.
Sky Sports News reported during a broadcast that aired on TV at noon ET on Wednesday that Modric will fly out to Spain tomorrowto finalize his dream move to Real Madrid. Modric will be on international duty on Wednesday night local time. According to the SSN report, Real Madrid will pay a total of £27.5m for the talented play-maker. That figure, if accurate, is below all estimated transfer fees that have popped up since the conclusion of the 2011-12 Premier League season.
Modric spoke of his intentions to leave White Hart Lane last Mayeven before Chelsea defeated Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League Final that relegated Spurs to Europa League for the second consecutive season. Levy, who told fans before the conclusion of the season that he would not be selling off star players this summer, reportedly brushed off offers for Modric from Real Madrid, Manchester United and PSG. New manager Andre Villas-Boas seemed to see the writing on the wall in mid-July, however, when he hinted that Modric would not be with the team at the start of the upcoming campaign. Modric went AWOL before Tottenham's US tour a few weeks ago, and he has since been training by himself and not with the Spurs squad.
Ironically, this would be the second time that AVB would miss out on having Modric in his squad. Villas-Boas was Chelsea boss last August when Spurs turned down a £40m offer for the midfielder. It had been reported throughout the summer that Levy would not accept anything under £40m for Modric, although some speculated that any offer between £35-40m would do. Exactly one week ago, sources reported that Real Madrid made a "take it or leave it" offer of £30m. Assuming Sky Sports has it right regarding the final deal, it looks like Levy won't even get that much for Modric.
My immediate thought on the matter is that Villas-Boas and/or Levy are simply done with the Modric saga, one that clearly affected the club last August when Spurs were routed by both Manchester United and Manchester City in their first two games of the Premier League campaign. It's also worth noting that both Villas-Boas and Levy have stated this summer that they would like to conclude all business before the August 31 deadline day. Tottenham currently need to land at least one more striker this summer, and Spurs have also been linked with several potential Modric replacements.
As always in these scenarios, I will remain a skeptic regarding Modric's switch until I see an official announcement from Spurs. Nobody at Tottenham had commented to the press about Wednesday's SSN report as of the posting of this piece. With that said, it has been obvious since Chelsea's win over Bayern Munich that Modric's future would not include Spurs. Tottenham supporters can now only hope that the transfer is completed swiftly and also that Levy gets the best possible price for the soon-to-be former Spurs star.
