Chelsea are planning a renewed effort to sign Luka Modric, the Croatia midfield player, in the summer as the centrepiece of Avram Grant’s attempt to reshape the squad. It is understood that Chelsea made a late bid to sign Modric during the final days of the transfer window last month, but were deterred by Dynamo Zagreb’s asking price of £20 million.

Chelsea value Modric at less than half that and are confident of completing his signing at the second attempt because his value will diminish drastically in 12 months’ time because of the so-called Webster ruling, which enables players under the age of 28 to buy their way out of the remainder of their contracts when they enter their fourth year.

Modric took the extraordinary step of signing a ten-year contract at Zagreb in December 2005, which has inflated his value to enable the club to keep hold of him in the short term but not much longer. Under the terms of Fifa article 17, first exploited by Andy Webster, the Rangers defender, Modric will be able to buy himself out of his contract for as little as £1.5 million during next January’s transfer window, giving Zagreb little option but to cash in or risk losing as much as £10 million this summer.

Chelsea have not made contact with Modric, but it is understood that he has been sounded out by an intermediary, believed to be Giovanni Rosso, a former Croatia midfield player at Maccabi Haifa who knows Grant well after spending the past ten years of his career in Israel.

Modric’s situation is further complicated by his relationship with Zdravko Mamic, the Zagreb executive vice-president who also acts as his agent. Mamic held talks with several Barclays Premier League clubs in London last month about a transfer, including Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Newcastle United, before announcing, strangely, that Modric was not for sale.

Mamic has looked after Modric since he discovered him playing in the Bosnian youth leagues as a boy, but there are signs that their previously strong relationship is under strain. The 22-year-old is aware of his increased options postWebster and has been increasingly vocal in recent weeks, saying that he plans to leave Croatia in the summer and giving Zagreb little option but to cash in at the end of the season.

Modric came to international prominence when he impressed Arsène Wenger during Arsenal’s Champions League qualifying round win over Zagreb two years ago and he went on to play a crucial role in Croatia’s successful qualifying campaign for Euro 2008. As a genuinely two-footed player, he isa rarity for a central midfield player, although he often plays on the left for his club.

Grant will be given significant funds to sign several players this summer, having inherited the squad from José Mourinho, although of equal significance will be who he is able to retain. Significantly, Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack will be able to buythemselves out of their contracts in the summer because they will have only 12 months remaining. Lampard will return to the squad tomorrow for the Premier League match against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, having not played since Boxing Day because of a thigh injury.

Integrating Lampard into the starting lineup could prove tricky for Grant, especially with Ballack, the Germany midfield player, showing such fine form. “When you have good players, you want them to be in good shape,” Grant said yesterday. “When they are in good shape, it will be OK. We will find a place for everybody.”

Rafael BenÍtez, the Liverpool manager, believes that victory away to Chelsea tomorrow could kick-start the club’s season before a critical few weeks. Liverpool are fifth in the Barclays Premier League, 11 points behind Chelsea, but BenÍtez believes that a third-place finish, let alone Champions League qualification, will be possible if they win at Stamford Bridge. “We are fighting for fourth, but if we beat Chelsea we can maybe think about third position,” he said. “If we don’t, we’re running out of games and it would be much more difficult.”