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Croatia coach Igor Stimac is disappointed Andre Villas-Boas is not picking Luka Modric but expects the unsettled Tottenham playmaker to join Real Madrid this month.
The move has stalled over Madrid’s refusal to meet Spurs’ £40million price tag and Modric (above) antagonised his club by refusing to travel to the United States for their summer tour.
Modric has not been picked for any of the club’s other pre-season matches since and that has not gone down well with Stimac, who plans to give the 26-year-old his first game of the summer tomorrow when Croatia face Switzerland in Split.
“I don’t like the situation that he is in at all, he has not played any matches at all this summer,” said Stimac. “However, he will sign for Madrid before the market shuts.”
Tottenham are planning for life without Modric as they have signed Gylfi Sigurdsson from Hoffenheim and it is understood they have launched a bid for Rennes midfielder Yann M’Vila.
Villas-Boas’s main concern, though, is up front given that Jermain Defoe and rookie Harry Kane are his only strikers as efforts to sign Emmanuel Adebayor and Leandro Damiao have so far failed.
Spurs have also made an £12.5m offer for Gaston Ramirez, according to the Bologna forward’s agent.
Oscar Betancourt told Italian website Calciomercato: “The deal didn’t go through because Spurs offered too low a wage and if the wage difference is minimal he would stay at Bologna.
“Tottenham could raise their offer if they sell Modric and in that case the deal could be done.”
