Luka Modric submitted formal transfer request to move to Chelsea

Luka Modric has handed a transfer request into Tottenham with the hope of forcing a move through that will see him playing for Chelsea next year. The Blues have shown interest in Modric all summer and the Croatian has made it clear that he would like to move to Stamford Bridge, but Spurs have insisted that they will not sell their prized midfielder. The situation has gotten ugly of late as the feud between Modric and Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy grows, leading Modric to hand in his transfer request.

Not long after Chelsea expressed interest and Modric said that he would be open to a move, the Blues put in a £22 million bid for Modric. Tottenham rejected the bid out of hand and deemed the low offer to be insulting for a player of Modric's quality. The bid was upped to £27 million, but to Modric's dismay, Spurs said no once again and Levy made it clear again that he has no intent to sell Modric.

After a meeting with Modric in which Levy told the Croatian that he would not be sold, Modric returned to training with the team and even made the trip to South Africa for a preseason tour. Even so, Modric has continued to push for a move with the transfer request being the latest example.

The feud between Modric and Levy was evident over the weekend when the midfielder hit out at Levy in a Croatian newspaper. According to Modric, when he agreed to a new contract last summer Levy agreed to consider offers from bigger clubs this summer if any came in. Now, Levy has insisted that Modric would not be sold no matter what, which would go against what he supposedly told Modric last summer.

It looks more and more likely that Tottenham will be forced to sell Modric this summer, but the real question is why is it only Chelsea? It would appear as if Manchester United and Manchester City should be interested as well and while Modric has stated his desire to stay in London it seems a bit much to demand a transfer, but only to one club. Spurs should be able to receive bids from other clubs and so long as it is a big club playing in the Champions League, Modric should at least consider the move. 

For Chelsea, getting Modric is absolutely gigantic for them now that Michael Essien has been ruled out for six months with a knee injury. They were interested in bringing in Modric before, but with Manchester United and City getting stronger this summer to go along with Essien's injury they could definitely use Modric now. The question is how much they will have to pay for him? Any move will like be close to £35 million, but if other clubs get involved that price could go higher.

via telegraph.co.uk