Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has admitted that play-maker Luka Modric is in no state of mind to feature against Manchester United on Monday night.
Chelsea have been chasing Modric all summer and are ready to come in with a new £30million offer for the Croatian despite the impending arrival of Spaniard Juan Mata from Valencia.
Spurs have been clear in their declarations that they would not entertain offers for Modric, who wants a switch across London, but may now struggle to maintain that stance after
Redknapp was forced to leave him out of the squad for his club's Barclays Premier League opener.
Modric is not 100% fit but Redknapp may have been prepared to risk on him had he been sure of the midfielder's commitment to the cause.
Instead, the play-maker will play no part against the champions.
Redknapp told talkSPORT on Sunday: "He's got a little bit of an injury. There's a possibility he could have played through it. But at the moment his head's not in the right place."
That judgment is telling given that Wenger was prepared to play Samir Nasri - thought to be close to a switch to Manchester City - against Liverpool at the weekend.
Gareth Bale has called on the squad not to grieve the loss of Modric if he does leave White Hart Lane.
Bale, like Modric, had an dazzling campaign for Spurs last season, and does not want the 25-year-old to leave.
He does think, however, that the squad cannot reside on his departure should he do so.
"Luka is a fantastic player," Bale said. "I'm not sure what the situation is with him but I think if he is here then he's great for the team but if he's not then we have to get on without him."
Spurs were without Modric and fellow midfielders Jermaine Jenas, Steven Pienaar and Sandro for last week's 5-0 Europa League qualifying win over Hearts match, but coasted to victory thanks partly to inspiring displays from replacements Jake Livermore and Niko Kranjcar.
Bale was overwhelmed with how the Tottenham squad coped against the Scots and thinks that bodes well for the team ahead of what promises to be a long season thanks to their participation in the Europa League.
"Luka and JJ (Jenas) didn't play so it gives confidence to the whole squad that we can play like that," the Welshman said.
"These players that came in are international players and they showed that they are all class. It shows what kind of squad we have got."
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