Chelsea and Man Utd lead Christian Eriksen chase as Real Madrid pull out of race for Tottenham playmaker

CHELSEA and Manchester United are in pole position to land Christian Eriksen after Real Madrid pulled out of the race to sign him, according to reports.

Tottenham's star playmaker has been pursued by Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain after failing to agree a new deal at White Hart Lane.

Eriksen was expected to be a long-term replacement for Madrid's 33-year-old midfielder Luka Modric who won the Ballon d'Or last month.

But an inflated price tag has seen the Spanish giants end their interest with Chelsea and United expected to fight it out in the summer, the say.

Eriksen has been in talks with Tottenham for more than a year over extending his deal, which runs out in June 2020.

The Dane's £75,000-a-week wages has seen him fall significantly behind Dele Alli and Harry Kane, with the latter on £200,000-a-week.

Speaking earlier this month, boss Mauricio Pochettino said he would trust Eriksen "like his dog" amid interest from competitors.

He said: "Christian is a very special person and you need to give him freedom, like on the pitch.

"You cannot put him in a box. You need to give freedom and trust him. Like my dog, in the park. I trust my dog. I say, ‘Go, I trust you’.

"And Christian is a very clever person and of course there’s going to be a decision from him, from the club, from different parts and I hope he can be committed to the club long-term.

"We hope that he can be here for a long time. I think Christian is a fantastic player."