Before linking up with Real Madrid in 2012, Croatian superstar Luka Modric confided to a friend that he'd thought of switching sides within the Premier League, from Tottenham to Manchester United. But the transfer wish failed to take off and Modric ended up joining the Spanish giants and picked up even more honors.
Why the Red Devils passed up on the chance to sign Modric, who with Real won several league titles and the Ballon d'Or, can now be explained nearly eight years after. According to United legend Rio Ferdinand, the Croatian came knocking a year before he was to transfer to Spain.
Modric was then a rising star for the Spurs but United in 2011 was a club on a winning roll. Under Sir Alex Ferguson, the team had just won the Premier League and the fourth in the last five years. It was clear then that Modric wanted to start winning and Ferdinand was equally excited to take him in.
The move, however, was not even considered by United executives at that time, Metro reported. That's because the club had a bad experience with Tottenham on a previous deal and repeating that was something not in the mind of the United hierarchy.
The United board, it turned, was averse on a business deal with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy. Reportedly, Levy presided over a negotiation on Dimitar Berbatov in 2008, which dragged on for months that the club then vowed not to engage again with the Spurs with Levy calling the shots.
"It's the thought of having to deal with [Levy] him all summer," Ferdinand was reportedly informed by David Gill, then the club chief executive, on the reason that United would not make the deal happen.
And so Ferdinand missed out on the chance to have Modric as a teammate and it was the same case for the Red Devils. Eventually, the Croatian left for Real and what he accomplished there is nothing short of spectacular. He now boasts of four Champion League titles and was once considered the best player by both FIFA and Ballon.
Those were part of the past by this time as Modric is seen to be approaching the last stage of his playing career. Forbes said it's only a matter of time and the Croatian will be out of Real, picking up on the earlier report that the Los Blancos will soon allow Modric to move out for free.
"We are in the first quarter of 2020, and the midfielder has only been part of Real Madrid's starting line ups for roughly 50 percent of their games during the campaign. His form has begun to drop off to such an extent that it's entirely possible that Los Blancos will look to move him on in the summer," said the report.
The decline came as no surprise as Modric is already 34, and lacking the energy that was seen in the last eight years, he might not be back for Real Madrid next season, added the report.
