Modric likes Chelsea, but will Spurs let him go?

Luka Modric’s name has been in the deadline a lot today after the player announced that he wants to leave Tottenham to play in the Champions League and Chelsea are his current preference, but Spurs’ Chairman Daniel Levy responded to speculation saying that the north London club won’t be selling the Croatian midfield star.

Modric, 25, is currently a target of both Chelsea and Manchester United, had said:

“I would like to go to Chelsea. A lot of players would like to go there and play for Chelsea because it is one of the best clubs in the world, and so do I. I would like to play there. But we will see what will happen.

“Chelsea are a great club, they play in the Champions League every year, they have great players, they are ambitious and have an ambitious owner who wants to invest in the club and make it win the Champions League, the Premier League and other titles.

They are going in a great direction and everything about the club is very good. They [Chelsea] are the only one who sent an offer and they are at the moment my first choice.”

He added:

“I need to speak to the chairman and see his view on everything because last year, when I signed a contract extension, I spoke with him and said, ‘If something comes to the club, if some big clubs make an offer for me and want to buy me [then I would like to listen]’. He said we will sit, speak and see what is the best option for both Tottenham and for me.”

Levy responded by releasing an official statement from the club that said they will not be considering any offers for the player, which contradicted Modric’s claim that he had an agreement with the club to consider any offers that came in for him. The statement read:

“In respect of Luka Modric, we are not prepared to sell, at any price, to Chelsea Football Club or any other club. We made our stance on this issue abundantly clear in writing to Chelsea. They chose to ignore it and then subsequently made the offer public.

“For the avoidance of any doubt, let me reiterate that we shall not enter into any negotiations whatsoever, with any club, regarding Luka. We now consider this matter closed.”

Personally, I think Levy is just covering his tracks and it’d be naïve to think this transfer story is over. He’s a businessman and his words are an attempt to separate responsibility from the board and making the player look like the bad guy if he’s forced to ask for a move, whilst issuing a statement to the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United saying that they will command a huge fee for the Croatian, who has already made his feelings clear and when that happens it usually always ends the same way… eventually.

However, despite his current preference for Chelsea, a move up north to Manchester United can’t be ruled out.

Both Levy and ‘Arry deny it, but I reckon Modric will leave, but to where and for how much?