Luka Modric: Club chief to make contact over ambitious January transfer
- Modric has lost his role as a starter under Carlo Ancelotti
- Midfielder admitted he may be forced into a decision on his future if nothing changes
- Dinamo Zagreb want a reunion with Modric
By Tom Gott
Dinamo Zagreb board president Vlatka Peras has admitted she will reach out to Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric in January over an ambitious reunion with the 38-year-old.
Modric, who began his senior career with Dinamo, recently admitted it feels "strange" to no longer be a permanent starter at Madrid, having failed to hold down a permanent spot in Carlo Ancelotti's preferred lineup.
He has started just once in La Liga this season and played more minutes during the recent international break for Croatia (151) than he has done at club level with Madrid this campaign (133).
While Modric has made it clear he wants to stay with Madrid, he also confessed that he may be forced to consider his future at the club if he remains on the fringes of the first team, and Dinamo are keen to take advantage of that.
"He is in the last year of his contract, I will call him this winter, of course," Dinamo's Peras told Index. "How could Dinamo not want Luka Modric back? I can’t say that I am in constant contact with him, but I know members of his family.
"It would make sense for him to return to Dinamo at the end of his career, why not? Dinamo will certainly do everything in its power to make it happen. Now, whether that will be enough, we will see."
Modric signed a new one-year deal with Madrid last summer under the assumption that he would be given a fair chance to play, but there has been a noticeable drop-off in his minutes this season after Ancelotti shifted away from the traditional 4-3-3 setup.
Now using a 4-1-2-1-2, Ancelotti has favoured younger midfielders like Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde as he seeks to usher in a new era which will revolve around the star at the top of Madrid's midfield diamond, Jude Bellingham.
Modric has embraced his new role as a veteran leader of the squad and is keen to share his wisdom with Madrid's crop of youngsters, although the 38-year-old still wants to play regular football.
Clubs from Saudi Arabia reached out to Modric during the summer but were swiftly turned down, although he is expected to receive renewed interest from the Middle East in January.
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