---
title: "Chelsea: Blues missed out on Spurs hero Luka Modric even after Abramovich meeting"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/luka-modric-chelsea-abramovich-transfer-revelation/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Emilio Galantini"
section: "Chelsea Football Club"
published: "2020-08-19T16:40:31Z"
modified: "2020-08-19T16:40:31Z"
---

# Chelsea: Blues missed out on Spurs hero Luka Modric even after Abramovich meeting

**According to extracts taken from Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric’s autobiography, via [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/aug/18/luka-modric-roman-abramovich-brought-me-onto-his-yacht-and-said-sign-for-chelsea), Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich once met the player privately to discuss a potential transfer to Stamford Bridge – and the move looked likely to happen until Los Galacticos got involved.**

Indeed, as per the [Croatian’s official account of events](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/aug/18/luka-modric-roman-abramovich-brought-me-onto-his-yacht-and-said-sign-for-chelsea), Chelsea’s magnate held a meet-up with Modric on numerous occasions to try and entice him with a west London switch, even hosting the midfielder on a yacht and bringing him to Stamford Bridge to watch the club in action.

![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/THE-BREAKDOWN.png)

Modric, who ended up signing for Real Madrid at the end of the 2011/12 season, claimed that he was flirting with the idea of moving to Chelsea after three successful seasons at Tottenham. However, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, once the [press got whiff](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/aug/18/luka-modric-roman-abramovich-brought-me-onto-his-yacht-and-said-sign-for-chelsea) of his desire to leave, made a public statement insisting that the player was not going anywhere.

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What followed was a transfer saga which eventually lead to nothing despite Chelsea winning the Champions League that season, with the Croatia international eventually [signing at the Bernabeu](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/19389191) despite Abramovich’s ploys.

The [£180,000-per-week](https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1200786/Real-Madrid-wages-Gareth-Bale-Eden-Hazard-Karim-Benzema) star has been a revelation in Spain ever since, helping to guide Real Madrid to [four Champions League wins](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/luka-modric/erfolge/spieler/27992) in just five seasons.

![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Verdict.png)

A [World Cup finalist](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/44754965) and [Ballon d’Or winner](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/46432933), Abramovich missed out on a world-class asset in Modric in potentially one of the biggest what-ifs over Chelsea’s long transfer history.

In hindsight, Levy’s intervention made it even more difficult for Chelsea to secure a deal, but landing Modric arguably would have been one of the Blues’ best signings of the decade.

***Blues fans, would Modric have become a Chelsea legend? Join the discussion by commenting below…***