Spurs to up Modric wages to ward off Chelsea

(GETTY IMAGES)

Tottenham Hotspur will offer Luka Modric a new contract this summer but they will not entertain any offers for the Croatian international from Chelsea, Manchester United or Manchester City.

There has been one £22m bid for Modric from Chelsea this month that was immediately rejected by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy who considered the amount derisory given the relative prices paid for the likes of Darren Bent (£24m) and Jordan Henderson (£20m).

Harry Redknapp made the same point yesterday when he described the offer from Chelsea as "ridiculous" and said "there are people being sold for £20m who are not fit to lace Luka's boots". The club are concerned that news of the offer from Chelsea, which they considered a private communication between the two clubs, has been leaked and they fear it has only been done to alert Modric to an offer which he would otherwise not have been privy.

The club are confident that the player and his agent Mario Mamic have no interest in moving this summer. However, they do realise that Modric's £40,000-a-week wages – modest by Premier League standards for a player of his class – are due re-appraisal.

There is no financial imperative to sell Modric this summer on Spurs' part and the length of his contract gives them protection against a situation where they could lose him for nothing.

While Chelsea are still yet to appoint Guus Hiddink as their new manager, the club's former assistant Ray Wilkins left the door open for a return to Chelsea. Wilkins, 54, was dismissed as assistant first-team coach in November following two years in the job and an FA Cup win while Hiddink was in temporary charge.

Wilkins said: "I would love to have another bash. As a No 1 or No2 would not be a problem but as a No2 it would have to be with somebody of standing." Wilkins worked under Luiz Felipe Scolari and Carlo Ancelotti as well as Hiddink. "Guus was great fun to work with, I really enjoyed it," said Wilkins. "It was interesting to see him celebrate the FA Cup. He's 64 but his heart is still 25."