Florentino Perez Says Luka Modric Not Leaving Real Madrid for Less Than €750M

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has said Inter Milan target Luka Modric won't be leaving the Spanish giants this summer unless a club agrees to pay his €750 million (£668 million) release clause in full.

Los Blancos have already sold former poster child Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus for €100 million this summer, and Perez has warded suitors off another of his headline stars, per Carlos Forjanes of AS: "Modric is not leaving Real Madrid. He is not leaving unless someone pays the €750 million of his release clause and not a euro less."

Forjanes cited a report from La Gazzetta dello Sport, which claimed Modric's wife, Vanja Bosnic, wants to leave Madrid. Meanwhile, the Mirror's Neil McLeman reported Modric is keen on the idea of joining the Croatian contingent of Ivan Perisic, Marcelo Brozovic and new arrival Sime Vrsaljko at Inter.

Rumours have quickly escalated regarding the Nerazzurri's potential move for Modric, and Milanese journalist Tancredi Palmeri relayed Sky Sport Italy's claim that a meeting with Real's top brass is set for next week:

The 32-year-old has enjoyed an extended holiday after Croatia's run to the 2018 FIFA World Cup final, an adventure that may have ignited a desire to link up with his compatriots at club level should the speculation prove genuine.

Modric has a contract with Real that isn't due to expire until the summer of 2020. By the end of that deal, the playmaker would be on the verge of turning 35, and it's plausible he wants to experience some of those years in another setting, rather than stay at Real until he's on the cusp of retirement.

Having said that, the veteran would be an almost impossible void to fill in the event he does leave this summer, at least with the resources currently at the Santiago Bernabeu, said ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan:

Vrsaljko has joined Inter on loan from Atletico Madrid for the season, while Brozovic and Perisic have each been at the San Siro for three seasons.

Modric does have one Croat countryman for company in Madrid, but Mateo Kovacic has long served as his understudy and wants to leave the club himself, per Sergio Santos Chozas of AS.

It seems like a good time to join an Inter side that's made other impressive transfer signings this summer, and Goal's Mark Doyle presented one possible XI the Nerazzurri could line up with should Modric arrive:

Perez's statement regarding Modric's price-tag may seem daunting at first, but there's likely a much more realistic value the club could come to should the player inform Perez he wants to leave after six years of service.

But contracts can be binding at a club as powerful as Real, and what was once a harmonious marriage could take a foul turn if Real refuse any request to leave, with Modric having played a huge hand in their recent successes.

He's been a vital figure in each of Real's four UEFA Champions League wins in the last five seasons, and losing both his and Ronaldo's talents in Julen Lopetegui's first summer as manager would make for a tough transition.