Modric wants Inter move but Real to battle for him

Croatia star Luka Modric is understood to be desperate to leave Real Madrid in order to move to Inter Milan, but Los Blancos are remaining defiant in their efforts to keep the former Tottenham midfielder at the Bernabeu. With the transfer window closing on 31st August for both La Liga and Serie A sides there is still time for this deal to be done, but the two clubs appear to be at something of an impasse on the situation at the moment. Modric is, of course, among the world’s finest midfielders and with Real having already lost Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus this summer they will be eager to avoid another big name departure for Serie A. Modric himself, though, has made no secret of his desire to join Luciano Spalletti’s side.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is thought to want a personal meeting with Modric in order to hear his concerns and, ultimately, his decision regarding whether to remain with the European champions. With Vinícius Júnior arriving at the club for around £40.5m from Flamengo there is added competition for places in midfield, though Júnior favours playing either up front or on the left wing as opposed to the more central position in which Modric tends to be utilised. Reports in Spain, however, suggest that the 32-year-old – who was named best player at the World Cup this summer – may resist the temptation of the San Siro and sign a new deal to remain with Real, and so there will be hope for Julen Lopetegui that he can keep Modric within Real’s ranks, for the time being at least.

The report continues that Modric’s new deal at Real will see him match the earnings of captain Sergio Ramos, making him the joint-second highest paid player at the club behind Wales international Gareth Bale. There has also been the not-so-small matter of Modric’s reported release clause, which stands at £676m (€750m). That would have easily made him the world’s most expensive footballer – and even at the rate transfer fees continue to rise that wouldn’t be too likely to be broken any time soon. His offer at Inter is believed to have equated to around £10m per year, with four years being spent in Serie A before being offered another two in the Chinese Super League at Jiangsu Suning – whose owners are the same who own Inter.

Whether Marca’s reports prove correct – and given the potential figures involved one would surmise that there is a good chance of that being the case – or not, Modric’s immediate future at least will have to be decided before the end of the month, one way or another. The money being bandied around seem on the high side for a player north of 30, and so it would take a truly heartfelt plea from the Croatian star to convince Real to talk business with the Italians. Chances are he will remain, however – and so his focus will need to be on Real’s efforts to regain the La Liga title from Barcelona and potentially win their fourth consecutive Champions League trophy at the end of the approaching campaign.

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