MADRID: Real Madrid have completed the signing of Croatia playmaker Luka Modric from Tottenham Hotspur as the stuttering Spanish champions seek an injection of guile and creativity to get their troubled season back on track.
Modric flew into Madrid on Monday morning and, after passing a medical, signed a five-year contract in the presence of big-spending Real president Florentino Perez before holding a news conference at the Bernabeu stadium.
The 26-year-old, who will wear the number 19 shirt, said he was relieved the transfer negotiations had concluded before the transfer window closes on Friday.
“I have to work very hard to earn a spot in the starting eleven and I’m prepared to do it,” he told reporters as his wife and young son looked on. “I’m grateful to Tottenham, but I’m now opening a new page in my life.”
While neither club gave financial details, Spanish media reported Real would pay $43.81 million for Modric plus another 7 million depending on the number of his appearances and the team’s performance. (Reuters)
