Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham: Where is Luka Modric going?

Widespread reports claim the midfielder's Real Madrid career is over almost before it's started

Luka Modric (GETTY IMAGES)

Luka Modric was recently voted the worst Spanish signing of the season by readers of Spanish newspaper Marca.

And after making just eight league starts and scoring one goal in all competitions - the £33m paid by Real Madrid makes Fernando Torres' £50m price tag look like a bargain.

His failure to recreate the performances that dazzled the Premier League while at Tottenham has led to speculation that he could leave the Bernabeu, possibly this month.

The player himself has admitted to struggling since moving to the Spanish capital, telling Sportske.net: "It's very demanding to adjust to a huge club like Real Madrid."

Should he be sold, the question is where will he go?

Chelsea are understood to be among the leading candidates. With Frank Lampard certain to leave at the end of the season the European champions are eager for a midfield replacement.

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has expressed admiration for Modric in the past and with failed attempts to sign Daniele De Rossi, and the absence of Yaya Toure who is on African Nations Cup duty, a bid from the Premier League champions has been mooted.

Manchester United are linked with just about every top-class creative midfielder who might be available - and that includes Modric. Currently Wesley Sneijder is the fashionable Old Trafford related rumour, but the Croatian looks just as good a fit with the impending retirement of Paul Scholes.

A return to Tottenham should not be ruled out. With Modric and Rafael van der Vaart leaving last summer, and the failure to sign top target Joao Moutinho, Spurs remain on the look out for a creative force in the centre of the park. How Real Madrid would feel about selling Modric back to Tottenham having been given the hard sell by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy in the summer remains to be seen.