Filed under: Football
With his statement over Luka Modric's future at White Hart Lane, Daniel Levy is in a position to show a significant change in his club's transfer policy. Tottenham chairman Levy also knows the implications of selling the Croatia midfielder."If Daniel's saying no he really can't be seen to be going back on that now. He's made a very strong statement. I wouldn't see Daniel backtracking on that at any price," said Spurs manager Harry Redknapp.
It would be a black mark against Levy's leadership at Spurs if he accepted a bid for Modric after insisting at the club's Annual General Meeting that Redknapp's best players would not be sold.
He repeated his message in an open letter to fans published in the matchday programme on the final day of the season and then made his feelings public when Chelsea made a £22 million bid for Modric.
Chelsea's opening gambit is well below his market value but Levy's resolve will be tested when the bids inevitably escalate.
At stake will be Spurs signalling whether they intend to compete for a top-four place in the Premier League. Or are they content with the comfort of mid-table with the occasional charge for a Champions League place?
"Chelsea are not the only club that have been in for him," Redknapp said. "There have been other clubs - top, top clubs. But if Tottenham are looking to go anywhere we can't be selling Luka. We have to do something to keep him at the club.
"We can't afford to sell Luka Modric if we want to be a successful club."
Comparisons can be drawn to Cristiano Ronaldo's situation at Manchester United before he left for Real Madrid. Like Ronaldo, Modric wants to leave his club and has publicly stated his intentions.
Should Spurs receive an offer they find difficult to ignore, then comes the real test of whether Levy can resist selling the central midfielder and receiving a healthy profit on the £16.5 million he paid. Redknapp feels Spurs must reject all approaches and show Modric the club's ambitions.
"I think we have to show him our ambition, which we will do," Redknapp told BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek programme. "If we can add one or two good players to our squad there's no reason we can't have another great season.
"So Tottenham could be a great club for him to stay with for the next few years. That's what we're hoping for."
Redknapp describes Modric as a model professional, so returning for pre-season training would not be a problem, even if he would like to leave Spurs.
He added: "He's a fantastic lad. You'll never meet a better lad than Luka. I suppose he's seen a massive contract and the chance to win the Premier League and play in the Champions League and that's what he wanted.
"But we want that as well. We want to get back in the Champions League and we need him to help us do that."
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