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Well, there you go. Can't say we didn't see this one coming. At his first press conference as Spurs manager today, Andre Villas-Boas admitted that serious interest has been shown in Luka Modric this transfer window and that the club are finally prepared to let him go for the right price.
In a statement that represented an about-face from the club's stance on Modric last summer, passed on through the BBC, Villas-Boas claimed: "It's fair to say the club respects Luka's ambitions and his willingness to move on". Hinting that the club would press for a decent transfer fee, he continued "ongoing discussions will continue with these clubs until we reach an agreement that is acceptable for each party".
Aside from this suggestion of a bit of Levy hardballin' to ensure that the club receives a decent return from a potential sale of the Croation playmaker, there was another positive to take away from AVB's press conference in the form of confirmation that Porto's Joao Moutinho is being sounded out as a replacement, with the Portuguese midfielder being described as "someone we look on with interest".
It thus seems that Luka is indeed set for a switch to Madrid, with whom he has been persistently linked all summer or another top European club in the near future. I'll put my cards right on the table with this one- if we can command a fee in the region of around £30m+ and Modric ends up abroad next season, then I can honestly not losing too much sleep over this potential deal. Luka is easily the most coveted and integral member of our squad at the moment, but a player of his proven quality deserves to play wherever he wishes to play at this point, and if that's not at Tottenham or one of our closest rivals then I feel it's time to let go. Just try not to score too many against us in the Champions League next season eh Luka?
