Manchester United have been encouraged in their pursuit of Tottenham star Luka Modric.
The Mail on Sunday says Tottenham are moving for Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole.
Cole's move could pave the way for Modric to make a £28million switch to Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson's first-choice playmaker as a replacement for Paul Scholes is Wesley Sneijder but his Inter Milan wages of £170,000 a week after tax is a serious obstacle.
Modric earns just a fraction of that and Spurs could be tempted to sell and bring in transfer funds after landing a like-for-like replacement in Cole. The player has also indicated that he would like to move to Old Trafford to play Champions League football again.
