Tottenham will fine Luka Modric £80,000 after refusing to train as he tries to force through move to Real Madrid
Luka Modric will be fined more than £80,000 after refusing to train as he attempts to finally force through a move from Tottenham Hotspur.
The 26-year-old midfielder was, nevertheless, believed to have boarded the team flight to Los Angeles on Saturday as the squad headed off for a pre-season tour to the United States.
However Spurs did not release a squad list ahead of the flight and there were claims, from Spain, that the player was threatening to refuse to travel.
Modric is now expected to finally hand in a transfer request as he seeks a move to Real Madrid although Spurs insist they will not budge on their valuation of £40million for the Croatian.
Because of Spurs’ determination not to lower the price, then the saga is, as with last summer’s attempts to sign Modric by Chelsea, expected to last until the transfer window closes at the end of August.
Modric refused to train on Friday, ahead of Saturday’s flight, and will be fined around two weeks wages, a basic of over £80,000 in total, by Spurs’s new head coach Andre Villas-Boas.
Modric is still paid a fairly low wage at Spurs after refusing to sign a new contract which would have doubled his salary.
Unlike last summer, Spurs are prepared to sell Modric but only if the bid is high enough. They are also aware that Real are not the only clubs interested in Modric with Chelsea once again making inquiries - although Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is adamant that should the player leave he will not stay in the Premier League - and cash-rich Paris St-Germain in the bidding.
Real had indicated they would meet Spurs’s asking price but have so far only offered around £27m - including add-ons - although they have also tried to offer players including midfielder Nuri Sahin and defender Ricardo Carvalho.
Spurs want to do a cash-only deal and have no interest whatsoever in Carvalho while Villas-Boas wants to pursue other midfield targets - notably Porto’s Joao Moutinho - ahead of Sahin. However Spurs will not meet Porto’s asking price of £24m for Moutinho, with Villas-Boas believing the fee is inflated, and may look elsewhere.
Real president Florentino Perez, aware that Modric is prepared to continue to agitate for a move, and that Spurs are contemplating a sale, is unwilling at present to raise his bid substantially.
Villas-Boas would happily keep Modric but accepts that the player can be sold as he re-shapes the squad having already signed Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jan Vertonghen.
Spurs are still negotiating a deal to sign Emmanuel Adebayor on a permanent basis but personal terms are yet to be agreed. Adebayor is also holding out for a greater portion of the transfer fee, of around £5m, being paid to Emirates Marketing Project.
Spurs are not, as things stand, bidding for France captain Hugo Lloris although Villas-Boas is in the market for another goalkeeper.
On their US tour, Spurs play LA Galaxy in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Liverpool in Baltimore a week on Saturday and New York Red Bulls in New York on Tuesday week.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...ies-to-force-through-move-to-Real-Madrid.html