Tottenham Hotspur have held discussions with Dynamo Zagreb about the possibility of signing Luka Modric. Officials from the North London club met their Croatian counterparts on Tuesday in an effort to steal a march on other Barclays Premier League sides chasing the signature of the Croatia midfield player.

Juande Ramos, the Tottenham head coach, was unable to persuade Tiago, the Portugal and former Chelsea holding midfield player, to join the club in January from Juventus. He has since come to the conclusion that he needs a more creative player in the centre of midfield and that is now one of his primary ambitions for this summer's transfer window.

Zdravko Mamic, the Zagreb president, has priced Modric at about £18million and has spoken to several other English clubs, including Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle United. Modric, 22, was instrumental in helping his country to beat England 3-2 in the crucial European Championship qualifying match at Wembley in November, a defeat that led to Steve McClaren's departure as England head coach. Modric's vision and passing have earned praise from many observers and he can play on the left side of midfield or as a playmaker behind the forwards.

Ramos's priority is to sign at least one goalkeeper, two defenders, a midfield player and a forward. Carlos Kameni is one of the leading contenders among the goalkeepers that remain under consideration. The Espanyol player can be bought for €6million (about £4.7million), but a potential deal has become considerably more expensive in recent months because the pound has fallen almost 9 per cent in value against the euro on currency exchange markets this year.

Ramos has shown interest in Diego López, the Villarreal goalkeeper, who came through the Real Madrid youth system and was the second choice behind Iker Casillas at the Bernabéu for two seasons. The 26-year-old has since established himself at Villarreal, where he has three years left on his contract, which includes a release clause of about £27 million.

Marco Amelia, the Livorno goalkeeper who was in Italy's World Cup squad in 2006, has claimed that Tottenham were close to signing him in January. He attracted interest from Manchester City last summer. Tottenham have watched Maarten Stekelenburg, but have doubts about the Ajax goalkeeper.

Tottenham could also need a second-choice goalkeeper, with Radek Cerny expected to leave at the end of the season, but Ben Alnwick may be promoted. Alnwick has yet to play for Tottenham, but has been on loan at Luton Town, of Coca-Cola League One, and Leicester City, of the Championship, this season.