Boss also confirms Adebayor talks ongoing
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has denied Chelsea have made another bid for Luka Modric and again reiterated his desire to keep the Croatian at White Hart Lane.
Modric has been the subject of intense speculation all summer over a possible move to Stamford Bridge, a move he admits he is keen to make.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy as well as boss Redknapp are adamant the player is not for sale, but that stance appeared to soften last week when Redknapp admitted he could cash in on the former Dinamo Zagreb playmaker to strengthen the squad elsewhere.
The 25-year-old missed Spurs' opening game of the season against Hearts on Thursday through injury and will also sit out the club's trip to Old Trafford on Monday night after Redknapp admitted the player's head 'wasn't right'.
""For me the quicker the transfer window closes and we can get on with Luka being here the better is it for everybody.""
Harry Redknapp
Quotes of the week
"Luka has a bit of a hamstring and doesn't feel he is 100 per cent fit, but I won't lie to you his head isn't right at the moment," the Tottenham boss told Sky Sports News.
"He is a great lad but is just a bit confused about where he is at the moment in his football career.
"For me the quicker the transfer window closes and we can get on with Luka being here the better it is for everybody.
"I've not heard of another bid [from Chelsea]. When they signed [Juan] Mata I thought that might be the end of it but people tell me they are looking still to bring Luka in and really strengthen their team.
Sky Bet odds
Luka Modric is 4/11 to join Chelsea in the transfer window and 8/1 to move to Man Utd. Bet now
"I can well see them looking to chase Luka but we really want to keep him here and add one or two players to our squad to make us stronger."
Redknapp insisted that Modric was not on strike and added that he was prepared to play the 25-year-old soon, perhaps against Hearts in the Europa League on Thursday in a move that would make him ineligible to play in the Champions League and could therefore end Chelsea's pursuit.
"I don't think he's played his last game for us," Redknapp said.
"I want him to play for us against Manchester City on Sunday, he's a good
player and we need him out there for us.
"We've got Hearts on Thursday too and I'd love to get a game into him."
Wages
Redknapp also confirmed the club were still in talks with Manchester City over a loan deal for striker Emmanuel Adebayor but confesses his side struggle to match the wage demands of the game's top stars.
"The chairman has been talking to City [about Adebayor], but I'm not sure where we are at," added Redknapp.
"I think it's a great deal as he can come in and show everyone what a good player he is and it would be a great signing for us.
"The chairman runs the club well and won't put us into trouble by paying what we can't afford, but if you want top players they want top wages.
"It's all about wages these days, if they get their money you have a chance of getting them but they don't come cheap.
"I think we're close to getting a couple in, but we need to shift one or two as we have a lot of players. We just lack that extra bit of quality you need if you want to keep pushing on and pushing for a top-four finish again.
"If we can do that and keep Luka then we're going to be strong again this year."
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12876_7118442,00.html
