In the past 12 months or so Luka Modric has handed in a transfer request at Tottenham Hotspur and has told the manager that he did not want to play in important matches. He has refused to train and he has refused to go on tour. It is fair to say that the midfielder has done everything both to let it be known that his "head is not right" at White Hart Lane and to force a move to a Champions League club.

Last summer the hoped-for club was Chelsea; now it is Real Madrid. Yet in a scenario that could unfold only in 21st-century football his employer clings to a trump card: that the player's desire to do himself justice will ultimately see him rehabilitated in Tottenham colours, if the club's transfer market demands are not met.

When the window closed last summer to call time on Modric's dream move to Chelsea, the change in him was remarkable. On 22 August he did not play in Tottenham's Premier League opener at Manchester United, having told Harry Redknapp, the club's then manager, that he was not in the right frame of mind. Six days later he said the same thing, hours before the visit of Manchester City, although on that occasion Redknapp did start him, because injuries forced his hand. "I played Luka but his head's not right again," Redknapp said after the game. Modric's transfer request had gone in on 13 July.

It was a different Modric, though, who played at Wolverhampton Wanderers in Tottenham's next game. Indeed his form was beyond reproach for the majority of the rest of the season; certainly until the team tailed off in the final couple of months.

"Obviously it was hard for me because my wish to move wasn't granted," Modric said. "But as soon as it became clear that I wasn't going anywhere, I knew I would keep putting in my best, just like I had before. It never crossed my mind that I could start behaving in any other way. That's how I was taught and I just don't know how to do things differently."

If there is a delicious richness to Modric's contention that it is fine to behave one way during the summer transfer window and another outside it, then it cuts both ways. Redknapp maintained that Modric was a "fantastic boy … not a moment's trouble" but he went further when he suggested that, if the 26-year-old had been a real troublemaker, he would probably have got his move. In short, and however bizarre this sounds at present, in light of Modric skipping training last Friday and ducking the club's tour to the United States on Saturday, he is the victim of his own better nature.

Could Modric truly refocus for a second season after being held to the terms of his contract, effectively, against his will? As things stand, the mere possibility that he will is enough to fortify the Tottenham chairman, Daniel Levy, in his stand-off with Real Madrid, who have so far offered a package for Modric that could be worth up to £31m.

Levy's stance has softened. Last summer he made it clear that Modric was not for sale at any price and he unceremoniously knocked back the proposed deal with Chelsea, which was worth £40m. This time he is willing to sanction Modric's release if Madrid offer close to £40m; £38m, for example, would do the trick. He might even accept a little less in the end.

But Levy's power is rooted in something more than Modric being contracted to Tottenham for another four years. He is happy to let Madrid know that, if they do not stump up the money, then he will be prepared to enter September with Modric in his team. There could be worse things than that, he will reflect. Levy will not cave in, even if Madrid think Modric's actions show they have won the battle. To Levy, whatever Modric might do and however much anger he provokes, it does not fundamentally alter his position.

It is reasonable to wonder whether one bad apple (or at least, one that rots during the summer) will contaminate the Tottenham dressing-room and undermine the manager Andre Villas-Boas' preparations for what has been heralded as a new dawn. But players are nothing if not cynical and there is an understanding among those at Tottenham that Modric is within his rights to push for the move to Madrid.

Rafael van der Vaart, Tottenham's former Real Madrid midfielder, has expressed his sympathy for Modric and his "difficult situation" while Villas-Boas is worldly and realistic. The Portuguese was Chelsea's manager last summer and he hardly condemned Modric for his behaviour back then.

Some of the Tottenham squad have clashed with Levy on other matters and as such they are in Modric's corner. Fans might find it hard to appreciate, given their unconditional love for their club, but to players it is all in the game. You have to do what is best for yourself and everybody is focused on his own situation. Modric is a quiet but popular guy. Football friendships do not break up over this sort of thing.

Villas-Boas, of course, would prefer to know where he stands over Modric, as he shapes his team for the season. The longer the saga runs, the longer Villas-Boas might be in limbo, and it is undeniably a frustration that the season starts before the transfer window shuts. But Villas-Boas and Tottenham will simply plan with Modric and without him. Levy has the Porto midfielder João Moutinho in his sights and, as an aside, it is worth noting that he is quibbling over the €35m asking price.

Modric is angry and upset. He reasons that he has given good service to Tottenham and they will make a healthy profit on the £16.6m they paid to Dynamo Zagreb for him in 2008. To Modric's mind Levy's desired mark-up is unfair and unrealistic. How he must regret his decision to sign for six further years in 2010.

The Tottenham support went on a kind of charm offensive last August, when they chanted Modric's name during the City game. It is hard to say how they will react to the sight of him back in their shirt, with many feeling that a quick sale is the only answer. The ball, however, is in Real Madrid's court.