Van der Vaart wants Modric stay

Rafael van der Vaart believes Luka Modric would only be leaving Tottenham to win more trophies.

Modric stunned Spurs supporters last month by declaring he wants to leave White Hart Lane, with Chelsea his preferred destination.

Spurs have rejected a £22million bid for their Croatian star, with chairman Daniel Levy insisting the 25-year-old playmaker is not for sale.

And although team-mate Van der Vaart has warned against keeping a player against his will, he insists Modric's desire to move on is not down to financial reasons.

"If someone wants to leave it's difficult to keep them," he told Sky Sports News. "When a player is unhappy it's not a good thing.

"Luka and (Gareth) Bale don't play for money - they play to win something. If they have to go to another club it's their decision.

Important

"But I hope they stay because they are fantastic and really important for the club."

In his first season with the club, Van der Vaart helped Spurs reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals although they missed out on qualifying for nest season's competition.

And the 28-year-old Dutch forward believes keeping hold of Modric is crucial to Tottenham's chances of getting back into the Premier League's top four next term.

"Drop too many points and you don't deserve to be in the Champions League so next season we are going to focus on the Europa League," he said.

"As a player, you want to improve every year but the important thing is to help the team. If we stay together we have a good squad."