Spurs Midfield Ace Sets Deadline for La Liga Move - Report

Luka Modric has set 17 July as the deadline for his proposed move from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid and will pull the plug on the transfer, if an agreement is not reached before the date, The Sun reports.

The Croatian was strongly linked to the La Liga champions and expected to join them after Euro 2012 but Los Blancos are yet to officially make a move. The midfielder is understood to have grown frustrated over the delay and wants the Spaniards to agree a deal in principle with Spurs in the next 10 days or he will explore other options, with Manchester United and Chelsea reportedly interested.

The report says Madrid must sell some of their fringe players to raise the £35mn required to buy Modric. Tottenham have refused to even hold negotiations with Jose Mourinho's side for the 26 year old's services so far, scuppering any chance of a player-swap deal.

New Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas is a huge admirer of Modric and made attempts to sign the midfielder during his time at Chelsea, which included a £40mn offer on transfer deadline day last summer. The Portuguese tactician is keen to work with the player but has also sounded out potential replacements if the club fails to hold on to its most-prized asset.

Dos Santos Wants Spain Move

Another Tottenham player who wants to leave White Hart Lane and move to Spain is Mexican forward Giovani Dos Santos. The former Barcelona man joined Spurs four years ago for £4.7mn but has made just two Premier League starts for the north London club so far and has spent most of his time out on loan with Ipswich Town, Galatasaray and Racing Santander.

"I want to return to Spain. There is a new coach at Tottenham, a new season is starting and it is clear to me that I want to return to Spanish football. I think that I will be able to announce the move soon. Tottenham have always tried to sell me for double the price that they paid for me. There are offers, but nothing can be made public yet," Sky Sports quoted Dos Santos as saying.

The 23 year old, who has been linked to Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and Real Betis, is part of the Mexico team for the Olympics.