Barcelona rejected a chance to sign Luka Modric in 2008 before he left Dinamo Zagreb for Tottenham Hotspur.

Barcelona already had Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Yaya Toure and Sergio Busquets in their midfield.

"We had it in our hands," said former scout Bojan Krkic Sr. "Modric was a player with a winning mentality, but the club weren't thinking about the future, only the short to medium term.

"Our contact in Croatia spoke highly of Modric before he signed for Tottenham. I was working for Barca then and they sent us various DVDs [of him playing] with Dinamo Zagreb and the Croatian national team.

"I consulted with [Zvonimir] Boban, the ex-Milan and Croatia player, to get his opinion and he told me he (Modric) would be a star in the future."

Modric moved to Madrid in 2012 after a four-year spell at Tottenham and recently agreed a new contract until 2020.