Madrid Midfielder Reveals United Battled With Chelsea For His Signature

Real Madrid star Luka Modric has revealed how Manchester United and Chelsea both attempted to sign him when he was excelling at Tottenham Hotspur.

Modric was at the centre of a summer long transfer saga as the Croatia international pushed for an exit from Tottenham in 2011, with Chelsea having a deadline day £40m bid rebuffed for the star as Spurs fought hard to keep their man.

French side Paris Saint-Germain then tried to land Modric the following summer before Madrid's bid was eventually accepted. Though Modric has taken some time to settle in at the Bernabeu, he now looks to be particularly happy working under Ancelotti.

But the 28 year old has now revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson was also pursuing him, admitting that he felt flattered to be the subject of interest from one of the most influential managers in the last quarter of a century.

"Ancelotti wanted me," he explained to Gazzetta Dello Sport. "A year ago in PSG and 2011 in Chelsea.

"But then Andre Villas-Boas came and Tottenham did not want to give me up.

"I also knew of the interest of the United and even if the transfer did not materialise, the public appreciation of a great like Sir Alex is a big pride for me."

Modric was believed to be the subject of interest from United this summer as the Premier League champions sought to remedy their midfield problems but the former Dinamo Zagreb youth player stayed at Madrid.

Without Ferguson in the dugout United have found it more difficult to attract players and endured a disappointing transfer window as a number of high profile players rejected moves to Old Trafford.