Chelsea in box seat to land England new boy as Real Madrid lurk after Luka Modric mauling
Chelsea remain in the box seat for an England new boy, as per a couple of outlets, though one suggests Real Madrid are interested, particularly after the midfielder helped maul their former star Luka Modric.
The Three Lions have given Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott his first minutes during the international break. He impressed in the 7-0 victory over Croatia on Saturday, in which idol Modric was on the other side.
That game, among others, has roused Real Madrid, according to our friends at TEAMtalk.
Real were in attendance to watch Scott’s display against Croatia, as they have been at a number of his recent fixtures, and are considering getting involved in the race for the midfielder.
Chelsea are said to remain at the head of the queue, which also includes Liverpool, while Real could step up their interest after their recent scouting efforts.
The view that the Blues are at the head of the queue is shared by The Telegraph, who state their interest in Scott has not been dimmed by efforts to sign him being knocked back of late.
Bournemouth are adamant they won’t sell their midfielder yet, but Chelsea are still pushing for the transfer.
The midfielder’s current focus is on this season, though he’s rejected a couple of new contract offers, so the chance of him moving on could be high.
Alex Scott v Luka Modric
Scott and Elliot Anderson both gained far higher FotMob ratings for their performances against Croatia – 7.5 and 7.9 respectively – than legendary midfielder Modric on the other side.
That a midfield involved Scott mauled a Real Madrid legend surely doesn’t hurt his chances of a potential move to the LaLiga giants.
The Bournemouth man admitted after the game that Modric was one of his idols growing up.
He said: “No better feeling. First start and to start with a win like that is amazing. The quality in this squad – you could see from the first minute, the lads we’ve got in the front line, they’re pretty deadly.
“It’s pretty surreal, one of my favourite players growing up, and to be on the same pitch and competing with him was a great honour.”
Modric’s rating was a 6.1, with the 41-year-old veteran getting off 36 accurate passes in a game Croatia showed little quality in.
England had far more of the ball throughout the game, and that benefitted Scott, who made 68 accurate passes – almost double his idol.
READ MORE: Luka Modric ‘ashamed’ after England mauling on ‘catastrophic night’ for Croatian football
