Chelsea are ready to make a £30 million bid for Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric. The Mirror says they have seen an initial £22m offer and a subsequent £27m bid rejected out of hand by Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.
But the Blues believe Spurs' stance is weakening by the day and that it is only a matter of time before Levy blinks and concedes he cannot keep Modric against his will.
Chelsea are therefore set to make their third bid as a further sign of their desire to capture the 25-year-old.
Feeling that Spurs' resolve is ebbing away, Stamford Bridge chiefs feel that it is now time to begin forcing the pace, in the hope a deal can be completed before the new season starts next weekend.
The Blues are ready to more than treble Modric's wages to around £150,000 per week - a figure Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp knows he is powerless to match.