As one would expect, the final Sunday before the end of the summer transfer window is rife with speculation from far and wide. Some of it will come to fruition, while a fair bit will crash and burn over the next few days…or perhaps never even come close to materializing.
Which of those will transpire with wantaway Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric? Well, all three options are very much in play right now, but one of those is leading heading into tomorrow, or at least appears to.
Modric Trying To Force Chelsea Move?
Well, it certainly looks like that is the case. Yes, that was indeed Luka Modric on the pitch today for Tottenham against Manchester City. And if you thought that his presence on the pitch was a sign that Modric had patched things up with Harry Redknapp and was all set to reaffirm his commitment to Spurs…well, that might not be the case.
After the 5-1 defeat to City, Redknapp revealed that Modric had approached him a few hours prior to the match and said he wasn’t in the right frame of mind.
Unfortunately for Modric, Redknapp stood firm and told Modric that he was needed, but in the end he was only on the pitch for a little more than an hour before being replaced by Jake Livermore (more on him below).
Redknapp remains as determined to keep Modric as Modric is determined to leave, so what will the end outcome be? At this point, it looks like Modric’s head is still as fully turned as it’s been throughout the summer, and when you’re trying to compete for honors like Spurs are striving to, the last thing that’s needed is a player who’s going to mope about until he gets what he wants.
For now, I see him having to suck it up, play his best, and wear the shirt with pride for the time being, but if Chelsea do indeed come in with that £40m bid that today’s reports linked them with, Spurs might well finally grant his wish, because they could do enough with those funds to ensure that Modric would be missed very little, if at all.
Speaking of Modric’s desired destination, Sunday’s reports were that they were set to sign Ajax defender Gregory van der Wiel for £28m and that Porto midfielder Alvaro Pereira, who also comes with a hefty price tag, is closing in a move to Stamford Bridge. Of those deals, the last one is the likeliest to occur, and it may be the only one. But hey, just when we might have been thinking Roman Abramovich was past the idea of spending £100m+ in a transfer window, I’m not putting it past him to hit that mark and then some.
Spurs Still Locked In Parker Talks
Whether or not Tottenham hang on to Modric, after their poor start to the Premier League season, everyone’s favorite wheeler-dealer is likely to be working overtime – perhaps not literally this time around – to secure a new addition or three before the deadline.
One such addition is likely to be West Ham midfielder Scott Parker, who didn’t take part in the Hammers’ win at Nottingham Forest (and they didn’t miss him at all, from the looks of the 4-1 scoreline), with the two sides still locked in discussions.
Latest reports are that Spurs have offered promising young midfielder Livermore on a season-long loan as part of the deal. Livermore started against Manchester United and in both of the Europa League matches against Hearts, and he’s already had four spells at Championship clubs (Derby, Peterborough, Ipswich, and Leeds, so he knows the lay of the land and has the ability to navigate it well.
And In Other News…
– Fulham have signed, or will do so anytime now, veteran Czech defender Zdenek Grygera from Juventus. That’s a solid addition, but they could use some attacking help as well.
– Newcastle are set to land Czech goalkeeper Petr Bolek from Slovakian side FK Senica on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy…provided Bolek makes enough of an impression on Alan Pardew in a few training sessions.
– Celtic are believed to be close to a deal for AIK striker Mohamed Bangura. Blackburn were also reportedly keen on a late move for the 22-year-old Sierra Leone international, but it appears he’ll be on his way to Glasgow for a medical and contract talks tomorrow after Celtic reportedly agreed a fee of £2.2m.
– Lyon have made a final offer of €10m for Auxerre midfielder Delvin Ndinga.
– According to Spanish reports, the agent of Real Madrid midfielder Fernando Gago was in Rome today to discuss a move to AS Roma.
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