London, Jan 22 (IANS) English Premier League giants Manchester United are planning a 50 million pound bid for Croatian midfielder Luka Modric, who is currently playing for rival club Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs chairman had turned down a 40 million pound bid made by Chelsea for the creative midfielder on the closing day of the transfer window this season.

Alex Ferguson, the manager of the Red Devils, it seems has made the Croat his number one transfer target of the summer, Daily Mail reported.

The 26-year-old has played a key role in Tottenham’s emergence as title contenders. Spurs are sitting third in the table, two points behind Manchester United and five points behind League leaders City.

United have looked thin in the midfield after Tom Cleverly and Darren Fletcher’s chronic health problems forced the manager to call back veteran Paul Scholes from retirement.

Ferguson had earlier made his intentions clear of bringing Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder from Inter Milan. However his proposed move to Old Trafford fell through with the midfielder demanding 250,000 pounds a week to match his Inter earnings.

Modric gained the ire of Spurs fans before the start of the season after he handed a transfer request to the board and publicly spoke about his interest to join London rivals Chelsea.