Real Madrid star Luka Modric has said that he was close to signing for Chelsea back when he used to play for Dinamo Zagreb.
According to Croatian newspaper Vercernji List, the 34-year-old wrote in his book that he was close to signing for the Blues and was in tears after no deal materialised. As cited by 90min Modric wrote: “During the winter break [of the 2007/2008 season], which I spent in Zadar, I got information that Dinamo and ?Chelsea were practically in agreement. Zdravko Mamic [Dinamo’s executive director] flew to London and was convinced that I would be moving to Stamford Bridge in the winter transfer window.
“While I was waiting for a sign with [my wife] Vanja in Zadar, rumours began to emerge that the clubs had failed to agree on the terms of the contract and that the transfer had failed. After telling the parents the end of the story [of the transfer break down], I left their apartment and in the parking lot in front of the building, while talking to Vanja about it, I broke down. I couldn’t hold back my tears.”
Modric may not have signed for Chelsea but he eventually joined a London club in 2008, Tottenham Hotspur. The Croatian international went on to make 160 appearances for the club, scoring 17 goals and providing 27 assists. Following his spell at Spurs, Modric joined Real Madrid and has amassed 18 goals and 49 assists in 311 matches across all competitions.
The 34-year-old has featured in eight matches for Los Blancos this season so far, scoring a goal and providing two assists. It will be interesting to see if Modric starts in this weekend’s La Liga fixture against Eibar. Real Madrid have a chance of going to the top of the league table if they win.
