Soccer:Harry Redknapp has reiterated his belief that Tottenham cannot afford to lose Luka Modric. The Croatian confirmed over the weekend that he would like the chance to leave White Hart Lane, with Chelsea his preferred destination.

That came after the Blues made a reported €25 million offer for the 25-year old, which was rejected last week. After Modric's declarations, both Redknapp and chairman Daniel Levy were quick to emphasise their desire to keep hold of him.

And Redknapp has again underlined his belief that Spurs cannot sell Modric.

"If Tottenham sell Luka then I feel it sends out a message that maybe Gareth Bale could leave and no one wants either to happen," he told The Sun. "I have seen that sort of thing before. West Ham decided to sell Rio Ferdinand and then all of a sudden they all seemed to go. That's no good for any club.

"Tottenham need to keep their best players as well as add more quality to the squad if they want to mount a serious challenge for the title. Other top clubs raise the bar all the time and Spurs must keep pace. It's as simple as that."

Redknapp insists Spurs can achieve the sort of success that Modric is looking for.

"Luka wants to be successful and if we can improve the squad then he can achieve that with us," he continued. "I don't envisage a problem with Luka. You could not meet a more professional man or a nicer person. It is so important for the club to keep him. I think we have to show him our ambition, which we will do.

"If we can add one or two good players to our squad there's no reason we can't have another great season. So Tottenham could be a great club for him to stay with for the next few years."