Luka Modric is expected to ask for talks with Daniel Levy, the Tottenham Hotspur chairman, in the next 48 hours in a bid to leave the club.
The Croatia midfield player returns to training tomorrow after the club rejected a £22 million offer from Chelsea. There is also interest from Manchester City and Manchester United. Levy has been adamant that Modric will not leave “at any price” but the club have so far refused to say whether they will offer the player a pay rise to reflect their valuation of him.
Chelsea are expected to increase their offer in the coming weeks as they search for a playmaker to play behind Fernando Torres. Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea owner, has had his yacht moved in recent days to Dubrovnik, from where he would be in a position to talk to Modric’s Croatian agent should a deal be reached.
Niko Kranjcar has accused Tottenham of pricing him out of a transfer. The club, who paid £2.5 million for the midfield player, now value him at £11 million.
“I’m shocked about the transfer fee set for me,” Kranjcar, who started only two league games last season, said. “It’s a price that cools down everybody who is interested.”
Advertisement
Tottenham could have to pay considerably more for Leandro Damião after the Internacional forward signed a new deal on better wages until 2016.
The Brazilian club have inserted a £45 million release clause but have not ruled out selling the player this summer, although they would prefer he stays until January at the earliest.
Decent bets
Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, has told Samir Nasri’s representatives that the club will not allow the midfield player to leave this summer unless a substantial offer is made, with £25 million thought to be the minimum figure that Manchester United and Manchester City would be expected to pay.
Nasri has so far rejected the offer of a contract beyond next summer as he waits to see Arsenal’s ambition in the transfer market. Cesc Fàbregas trained in the gym yesterday because of a hamstring problem. It is not clear whether the Spain midfield player will travel with Arsenal on their Asian tour.
Advertisement
Dead certs
Peterborough United have signed a third player this week from Manchester United. Nicky Ajose, the striker, signed a four-year deal and joins Ryan Tunnicliffe and Scott Wootton, who moved on loan from Old Trafford.
David Nugent, the striker capped once by England, has been signed by Leicester City on a free transfer after his contract at Portsmouth expired last month.
Long shots
Mevlut Erding has said that he wants to stay at Paris Saint-Germain after Newcastle United made a £7 million offer for the midfield player. “I remain in Paris, I want to impose myself here and I do not fear competition,” he said.
Advertisement
Darron Gibson, the Manchester United midfield player, has been offered to Newcastle, with a proposed move to Sunderland in the balance.
Gaël Kakuta has said that he is unaware if Hamburg want to sign him on loan from Chelsea. The midfield player was on loan last season at Fulham, who have been linked with John Arne Riise, the Roma defender.
Wesley Verhoek, the ADO Den Haag winger linked with Aston Villa, is in talks to move to Utrecht.