Luka Modric dropped a bombshell on Tottenham when he told Sportsmail he wants to leave White Hart Lane and sign for Chelsea.
The midfielder took the stunning decision to declare his reasons for wanting to join Chelsea, who are preparing a second offer for the Croat in the next 48 hours.
It is an action that will enrage his employers and Spurs supporters, but Modric says he wants to move to a club with ambitions of winning the Barclays Premier League title and is going public to force the issue.
Last night the 25-year-old spoke to Sportsmail from his holiday boat and said: ‘I want to leave Tottenham as friends. I have enjoyed my time there, but now it is right for me to look at another club.
'I have an arrangement with the chairman. When I signed my new contract, he said that, if another club came to sign me, they would consider the offer.’
A second Chelsea offer is due - and this time the price will rise from their opening £22million bid to closer to £30m.
And Modric said: ‘Chelsea are a big club with an ambitious owner. They have great players and they have ambitions to fight for the title and win the Champions League.
‘I want to stay in London. I am very happy here and so are my family. I like the city.’
The news will explain why Manchester City and Manchester United have been monitoring and talking, rather than formally bidding. They have clearly got wind of Modric’s desire to stay in London in the last 24 hours, which puts Chelsea in pole position.
‘I don’t want to have an argument with Tottenham,’ said Modric. ‘The supporters have been very good to me and I have enjoyed my time playing for the club, but it is for football that players leave clubs and move. It has happened to Tottenham before. It is normal for a player to dream about playing for a bigger club.’
Modric will speak to Spurs chairman Daniel Levy about arranging the transfer but insists the desire to leave is not about money.
'If somebody comes to the club and the offer is good for me and acceptable to them, then I want to leave,’ he said. ‘It has to be good for my ambition. It has to be a club who are winning titles and playing in the Champions League.
‘This is not about money, it is about ambition. When I came to England, I was dreaming about winning titles. That is still the same.
‘Tottenham are a big club, with good players and a good manager, but I want to fight for the championship. Spurs will always have a place in my heart. My experiences in the Champions League have left me with the desire for more.’
When asked what happens next, Modric said: ‘I need to talk with the chairman. I won’t ask for a transfer, no. That would be disrespectful. I hope they can reach an agreement (with another club) that is satisfactory for everyone. I am on holiday, but I need to speak and to see if I can find a solution to this.’
Spurs fans will expect Levy to offer Modric a new contract and keep his word. The chairman has said that he will not allow the player to go, while manager Harry Redknapp described the original Chelsea offer as ‘ridiculous’.
