Former Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has admitted he failed to convince Luka Modric to join him at Chelsea.
The Croatian midfielder signed for Los Blancos in 2012 from Tottenham and worked with Mourinho for a year before the manager left for a return to Stamford Bridge.
The Portuguese boss spent three years in total at the Santiago Bernabeu where he fell short in his main mission to win the Champions League, but did win La Liga and Copa del Rey.
And speaking to Croatian newspaper Sportske Novosti, Mourinho, who is approaching two years without lifting a trophy of any kind since he guided Madrid to success in the Spanish Supercopa in 2012, revealed he had phoned Modric about a potential switch back to London.
But he admitted he had failed to convince the 28-year-old of the project and the midfielder would prefer to stay in the Spanish capital.
“I called Modric only privately but he doesn’t want [to join] Chelsea,” Mourinho said. And he continued: “You know I really appreciate Luka Modric and his qualities. But he stays in Real Madrid.”
Modric played a key role in midfield for Los Blancos last season, making 49 appearances as the club won the Champions League and Copa del Rey.
