Chelsea have made an improved offer of £27 million for Tottenham’s Luka Modric, but Spurs look set to reject the bid after manager Harry Redknapp insisted the player is “worth nearer to £50m”.

The Blues’ first bid of £22m for the 25-year-old was turned down by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, while Redknapp regarded it as “a joke”.

New Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas sanctioned their latest approach on Monday, on the same day Blues midfielder Michael Essien was confirmed to be out with a knee injury for around six months.

Modric, who joined the White Hart Lane club from Dinamo Zagreb in 2008 for £16.5m, has made clear his intention to join Chelsea but the chairman has reportedly refused to discuss allowing the Croat to leave.

Prior to Chelsea’s second bid, Redknapp told The Independent: “To start with, the Chelsea offer at the moment is a ridiculous offer – and we don’t want to sell him.

“But if you are going to make an offer, make an offer. Don’t offer £22m for a player that is worth nearer to £50m.

“I don’t want to sell him. He has been training as normal. He is not a boy who would cause problems; I have never had a minute’s problem with him.

“He’s trained hard today. He has got on with it. You wouldn’t meet a nicer boy. The problem is that someone has come in and offered to double his wages.”

The Croatia international is reportedly earning £45,000-a-week at Tottenham, but Chelsea’s first offer would have seen his wages rise to £120,000-a-week.

Redknapp added: “We want to keep him, I need to keep him. He is ambitious and he wants to play in a team and win something and he’s been offered fantastic wages.

“But at the end of the day we want to keep him.

“If we sell him and sign no-one where are we going? Mid-table again.

“We have to show some ambition and keep hold of them as well as signing players.

“Liverpool are looking to sign Stewart Downing. They are getting in players to go above us so even hanging on to sixth place will be difficult.

“He [Levy] will make the decision. We obviously want to keep him and that will be up to the chairman.”