Reports: Real Madrid Set to Lose Midfield Star to Serie A Club
What's the story?
Several reports indicate that Real Madrid star Luka Modric is set to leave the club and move to Inter Milan. According to noted journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Croatian, who won the 2018 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball, the club are seriously considering bringing Modric to Italy.
Romano says that Modric could request Real Madrid president Florentino Perez to allow him to leave the Santiago Bernabeu as he wants a new challenge having won everything there is to win with the La Liga club.
Modric currently has a contract that has two more years to run at Real Madrid.
In case you didn't know...
Real Madrid signed Modric back in 2012 for a fee in the region of £30m. Although he took his time to settle in, struggling to play under Jose Mourinho before finding his feet under Carlo Ancelotti.
Modric has since been their driving force in midfield, winning 14 trophies with Los Blancos, including four Champions League titles - three of which came in consecutive years between 2016 and 2018.
His performances at the World Cup have even seen him in the running for the Ballon d'Or this year.
Also read: Ballon d'Or Power Ranking - August 2018
Heart of the matter
According to Sport, Inter officials have already been in touch with Modric's representatives in the hope of sealing a transfer this summer.
A move for Modric had never been entertained before but the likelihood of him leaving alerted Inter when the midfielder's wife Vanja Bosnic posed the question, according to AS.
The rumours also began to fly when Inter midfielder and Croatia teammate Marcelo Brozovic posted a picture of Modric and the words "Done deal" on his Instagram story which was later deleted.
Rumour rating/probability: 6/10
The Nerazzurri will have a tough time trying to prise Modric away from Spain, especially with less than a month left for Real to find replacements.
Furthermore, Perez may not want to let go of another star after allowing Cristiano Ronaldo to join Juventus earlier this summer.
Also read: What is Cristiano Ronaldo's Best Position at Juventus?
Video: The best of Luka Modric in 2018
What's next?
The midfielder will turn 33 in September and this could be his last big move before he hangs up his boots and that might give Real a reason to cash in so they can make a profit. However, if he does submit a transfer request, Perez will not allow Modric to leave without a replacement.
Real do not have that much time to find a like-for-like replacement. And with the Premier League transfer window closing on 9 August, the search for a replacement will become increasingly difficult with options also narrowed down.