Chelsea refuse to give up on Tottenham star Luka Modric.
The Guardian says Modric is determined to complete the transfer across London, so that he can continue to play in the Champions League. He has handed in a transfer request, having also fallen out with the Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy.
Chelsea have so far had bids of £22m and £27m rejected, with the feeling at Tottenham being that the offers bordered on the insulting for a player of Modric's quality. Chelsea are prepared to raise the bar again and go beyond £30m but Harry Redknapp has pre-empted a bid of around £35m, which has been advanced in some quarters as a potential compromise, to suggest that Tottenham would want much more.
"If we were looking to sell him, it [£35m] wouldn't meet my valuation," Redknapp said. "I think he is worth an awful lot more money than that. Really, we're not looking to sell Luka. We need to keep our best players, so he is a player that we want to keep if possible.
"It is in the hands of the chairman of the football club. It's not my decision at the end of the day. I obviously want to keep him as the coach but the chairman says he is not for sale, so we'll have to wait and see. We're quite determined, if we can, to hang on to him but it is a difficult situation. It's a difficult one for Luka and it's a difficult one for Tottenham."
Chelsea believe that as they have Modric's will, they will be able to close the deal before the end of August and that it is worthwhile to plug away. Levy is renowned for driving the hardest of bargains but to him every player has his price.
Chelsea have lost Michael Essien to a long-term knee injury and the new manager, André Villas-Boas, is keen to inject creativity into his midfield. Modric has said that Chelsea "are a club that all players dream of joining".
