Chelsea to return with improved Modric bid

Reports are beginning to circulate that Chelsea are set to return with an improved bid for Tottenham's Luka Modric.

The 25-year-old today confirmed that he is willing to hand in a transfer request in order to force through a move to the Blues.

The West London outfit had a £22m bid rejected by Spurs, an offer that manager Harry Redknapp described as 'farcical'. 

Now Redknapp has dismissed claims that the diminutive playmaker has been forced to train on his own and that he is unaware of any new approach.

"If they are going to make an improved offer, I would think they need to. Twenty-two million pounds for Luka Modric would be a joke if he was for sale," Redknapp told Sky Sports News.

"He is the most fantastic footballer, so the offer is a joke in terms of how much money they have offered and, most importantly of all, obviously we need to keep him."

"At the end of the day, it is up to the chairman. The chairman makes those decisions. I certainly wouldn't want to lose him, but it is a difficult situation," he added.

"He is a fantastic boy, as I have said before, he is a great player. It is not easy when people come along and start offering you double, treble your wages. It must make it very difficult for him."

The reported figure is said to be around £27m but Spurs are likely to demand at least £30m.

Lyon's Miralem Pjanic and Dynamo Zagreb's Milan Badelj are two players that have been linked with moves to White Hart Lane as possible replacements for Modric should he leave Spurs.