Luka Modric revealed what he had to do to leave Tottenham Hotspur after Daniel Levy took a hardline stance on his future.
Over the past week, the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner has been speaking a lot to the media about his time in North London.
A few days ago, Modric revealed that he wanted to join Chelsea in 2011, but Daniel Levy refused to sell him to Tottenham’s London rivals.
In the same interview, the 40-year-old explained that he is happy with the way things worked out since he joined Real Madrid a year later, but he has now confessed that a move to the Santiago Bernabeu was not easy either.
Daniel Levy’s clear message to Luka Modric about Tottenham departure
The midfielder, who called time on his 15-year spell with the La Liga giants in the summer and joined AC Milan, has now revealed that he remained keen on joining Chelsea even after the failed move in 2011.
However, former Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy told Modric in no uncertain terms that he would only sell him to Real Madrid.
The 40-year-old stated in an interview with Sportske Novosti (as relayed by Sport Witness): “Levy promised me mid-season that he would let me go because I kept insisting and Chelsea still wanted me. We also talked about a new contract, and at one point, I don’t know why, he told me, ‘The only club I would let you go to is Real’.
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“No matter how much you believe in yourself, Real sometimes sounds unattainable. I asked him what if Real doesn’t come, and he repeated the same thing during another conversation we had later. Even before the start of preparations for the Euros, they called me saying Real wanted me! I was like ‘wow,’ I was stunned, that’s it.”
Modric admits he had to take extreme steps to leave Spurs
The six-time Champions League winner explained that a move to Madrid was far from straightforward, as Levy made the negotiations very difficult.
The former Spurs midfielder revealed that he threatened to boycott training to force through a move to the Spanish capital.
Modric added: “I already talked to the coach in Rovinj, but leaving wasn’t easy. Despite what he (Levy) told me, the negotiations were tough and long. I behaved differently then [threatened to boycott Tottenham training], even though it was hard for me to take that step, but I had given my word.”
“It was hard and long, but at that moment, I was ready not to play anymore. It’s not in my character; it was hard because of my relationship with the fans, but I didn’t see another way.”