Tottenham not prepared to sell Luka Modric to Chelsea or Manchester under any circumstances – Harry Redknapp

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Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has assured Harry Redknapp that Luka Modric is not for sale under any circumstance as the White Hart Lane club seek to maintain pace at the top of the Premier League.

The 25-year-old has been the number one target of big clubs, notably Chelsea and Manchester United, this summer after playing a pivotal role in the Spurs midfield last. Some reports have claimed the Croatian could be offered up to double his current salary and given the guarantee of Champions League football by the giants of the English game.

However, Tottenham are adamant that no star player will exit White Hart Lane this summer in an effort to keep their hopes of qualifying for the prestigious European competition alive next season.

Nonetheless, speculation about Chelsea and United targeting Modric have sparked fears at Spurs that the player may want to leave, having told reporters: “I’m a Tottenham player and will be back on July 7 to begin preparing for the season, but I want to say that transfers could occur later.”

Boss Harry Redknapp concedes that the rumours have made him concerned about whether his key midfielder will still want to wear the Tottenham shirt next season. The former West Ham manager revealed, however, that Levy is prepared to back him by keeping their star man, with reports on Sunday in The Mirror suggesting that the Spurs chairman could even go so far as to report any approaches made for the Croatian to the Premier League.

He told The Mirror: “If clubs the size of Manchester United and Chelsea are prepared to offer him Champions League football and massive wages, you would have to be very naive to think it wouldn’t turn Luka’s head.

“But I have been assured by the chairman that he is not prepared to sell him under any circumstances.

“And it’s fair to say he’s not happy about the unwanted attention and continuing speculation surrounding Luka.

“I have said on many occasions he is irreplaceable and it would be a massive disaster for the club if he was allowed to leave.”

Moreover, Redknapp not only wants to keep what he already has at White Hart Lane but also hopes to strengthen his squad in a bid to keep pace with the top clubs in the Premier League

“We need to be strengthening the squad not depleting it. In an ideal world I would hope to bring in at least three more players to give us a realistic chance of competing for a top four
place in the Premier League next season,” Redknapp added.

“United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea, who all finished above us, are going to strengthen their squads so we have to be realistic.

“If we want to compete with them we have to be active in the transfer market, but I’m not
suggesting it’s going to be easy.

“Quality players at the right price are not easy to acquire. We also need to trim the squad and sell a few players.”