LONDON — Andre Villas-Boas has suggested Luka Modric has been badly advised over his “revolt” as he maintained that Tottenham Hotspur will not waiver in their valuation of the player.
Modric, who is determined to force a move to Real Madrid, missed training last Friday and did not travel with the squad for their tour of the United States. As a result of his actions he was hit with two separate fines.
Late on Monday, Spurs confirmed that Modric had returned to training on Monday in a statement on their official website.
It read: “The club can confirm Luka Modric has returned to training today (Monday) at Spurs Lodge. The coaching staff will now determine the remainder of his pre-season preparation.”
It is reported that the 26-year-old had made an apology to Daniel Levy for his actions, but Villas-Boas said the chairman felt the strike was “not common professional behaviour” and has no intention of reducing his asking price. ESPN understands Spurs are looking for close to £40 million for the player.
“There are clubs interested in him, but we have to hold on to our values and our rights and at the moment the situation for Luka is he is under club discipline,” Villas-Boas said. “Unfortunately for him he’s going to have to be fined for not being present.
“He’s a player who has offered so much for Tottenham so we have a sense of respect for what he’s done over the years for us, but the chairman feels that the fact that he’s not present is not common professional behaviour. The situation can be solved in two ways, the two ways being that the clubs interested meet the demands of Tottenham regarding the player’s value or the player continues and returns to the club.”
