According to Tottenham Hotspur manager, Harry Redknapp, there is no way that Spurs’ midfielder, Luka Modric, will be sold off to any other side for the 2011-12 season. He also said that Chelsea’s bid to get in Modric was nothing less than “farcical”.
Modric was one of the best players for the Hotspur side in the previous season as he went on to assist the team in getting to the last eight stage of the UEFA Champions League, apart from helping them qualify for the Europa League.
Redknapp said that Modric was one of the better midfielders in the world and possessed the quality to walk into any side. He also added that Modric’s superb play in the mid-field meant that he wanted the player in the line-up when Tottenham start off their campaign in the 2011-12 season of the EPL.
Redknapp said, “We don’t want to sell him [Modric]. He’s up there with the very, very best players in the Premier League and I think he could play in any team in the world, he’s that good. We wouldn’t put a valuation on him. It’s difficult, he’s such a fantastic player.”
Given that the Spurs had not been able to qualify for the Champions League this season, Modric was expected to move away from the club. There has been interest from the likes of Manchester United, apart from Chelsea. Manchester United wanted to get Modric in place of Paul Scholes, who retired recently.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are looking for the Croatian to partner Frank Lampard at the Stamford Bridge. Chelsea offered £22m for Luka Modric but it was turned down by the club with the manager calling it farcical. Modric had scored four goals in the previous season.
Modrić had joined Tottenham Hotspur on 26 April 2008 and was signed up for a six-year long contract. It was said that Tottenham paid a total of £16.5 million, to acquire the services of Modric, which equalled the record fee for Hotspur set by Darren Bent. Modric has scored seven goals at the international level so far.