Tottenham to sell Bale or Modric if they miss out on Champions League spot
With the likes of Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid lurking, two of Spurs' key players could be on their way if the club fail to secure a top-four finish
Tottenham are preparing to sell one of their star names to balance the books if they miss out on qualification for next season’s Champions League, Goal.com has learned.
Gareth Bale and Luka Modric are being tracked by leading European clubs and Spurs accept that at least one of their two prized assets will have to leave if they miss out on the top four.
Modric, who was the subject of a £40 million bid from Chelsea last August, is Manchester United’s number one target for the summer transfer window while Bale is being closely monitored by Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is conscious of Uefa’s financial fair play regulations and, with the club expected to report a loss in its next accounts, will look to cash in unless Harry Redknapp’s side can secure a lucrative place in the Champions League.
Tottenham reported a profit of £402,000 for the year up to June 30 2011, but that included £37.1m from gate receipts and prize money thanks to their run to the quarter-finals in Europe’s elite competition last term.
The Londoners did not feature in the Champions League this season and insiders have told Goal.com that they cannot afford a second successive season out of the competition if they are to meet Uefa’s break-even requirements.
They face a battle to finish in the top four following a dreadful run of just one win in their last eight league games that has left them in fourth with five games to play, level on points with Newcastle and two points ahead of Chelsea, their opponents in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Sunday.
Both Bale and Modric have made no secret of their desire to play regularly in the Champions League and compete for trophies.
Modric was promised last summer that he would be allowed to leave White Hart Lane if the club failed to finish in the top four this season, with the Croat’s future under increasing scrutiny as Manchester United target a long-term replacement for Paul Scholes.
Modric, 26, has yet to sign a new contract with Spurs despite talks throughout the campaign over a £100,000-a-week deal. He is believed to be delaying until the end of the season before deciding on his future and is waiting to see how the club’s managerial situation is resolved, with Redknapp expected to take the England job.
Winger Bale is expected to stay at Spurs for at least one more season, largely because his £40m-plus price tag is considered prohibitive by both Real Madrid and Barcelona.
But the 22-year-old Welshman does not see his long-term future at Tottenham and has no plans to sign another contract, with his current deal set to expire in 2015.
Bale is understood to privately favour a move to Barcelona and, speaking earlier this month, admitted he would find it hard to turn down a move to one of the Spanish clubs.
Asked about their interest, Bale said: "If you said to any young player that you could play for Barcelona or Real would they turn it down? Probably not.
"It's a bit like Harry [Redknapp] and England, it's a once-in-a-lifetime dream. If a bid was accepted you would obviously have to seriously consider it."
