The Blues have already seen two bids rejected for Tottenham playmaker Modric and Villas-Boas has repeatedly refused to confirm whether they have made, or are planning, a third.
But the new Chelsea boss is in the market for that type of player - and another midfielder - after admitting he is lacking numbers in that department.
"I think we might add in those positions - we might," he said.
"The sense of urgency in midfield is there.
"We play 4-3-3, we have a squad of 25.
"For you to prepare for a game, you need at least six midfielders. We only have four.
"But we have the versatility of (Florent) Malouda, for example, and Yossi (Benayoun), who we have been using in the 10 and the eight position to a very, very good extent and a very good level."
Every time Villas-Boas has spoken publicly since his appointment seven-and-a-half weeks ago, he has been faced with questions about Modric.
He gave short shrift to the latest of them, saying: "I just explained to you the sense of urgency in midfield.
"But it doesn't mean that it's Luka.
"Not that I'm interested, but you have (Samir) Nasri terminating contract.
"He's one of the most exciting players in the Premier League and that's the reality, as well as Luka, as well as other players."
As well as bringing players in, Villas-Boas must decide which of his star-studded squad to keep.
Striker Didier Drogba has already been offered a new contract to replace the one which expires next summer.
"Didier knows about our offers and he has made a counter-offer, and we are evaluating some things," said Villas-Boas, who was coy over whether Drogba was looking for more than a one-year extension.
The Ivory Coast star's Stamford Bridge future was in some doubt midway through last season, but he completely outperformed Fernando Torres towards the end of the campaign to earn a new deal.
Drogba is likely to start ahead of the Spaniard in Villas-Boas' first competitive game in charge at Stoke tomorrow, a decision which there will inevitably be something made of.
Villas-Boas has already dismissed criticism of Torres - who scored just once following his ?50million January move from Liverpool - as a "media obsession".
But after once again attempting to defend the Spaniard's performances in 2011, the Chelsea boss admitted his confidence needs rebuilding.
He said: "I think this guy needs confidence by getting it into the back of the net. Any striker. And the most often as possible in training and in games.
"In games is more difficult, comes with time. But it will happen. I think it will happen."
Confidence is something Villas-Boas does not lack himself, even when others have doubted him.
There have been plenty of naysayers during the 33-year-old's precocious managerial career and, despite his success at Academica and Porto, they refuse to go away.
Few pundits have Chelsea as Barclays Premier League champions this season, with many predicting them to finish third behind the two Manchester clubs.
Villas-Boas said: "I had the same in Porto. Exactly the same.
"'This guy is done'. 'This guy is no age', 'Player power'. 'The pressure'. Whatever. Exactly the same, because it's normal.
"'This is a 33-year-old leading Chelsea. Are you crazy?'
"But why? Why cannot people be competent at a young age?"
But what about the very specific pressure of working under Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich?
"I wouldn't take the job if I wasn't able to live with a certain amount of pressure," Villas-Boas said.
"Pressure comes when you are unsuccessful.
"Because, in the end you will massacre us, rightly so, if we lose a certain game or if we are on an unbeaten run and we lose a certain game that you think important - it might threaten the Premier League or the table of the Premier League.
"I keep saying this, the most challenging job I had in my short career of three years was Academica.
"In England, you tend to respect the job that you have done and it's football and you might go down. But not in Portugal.
"If you go down, it's a stamp in your life."
Villas-Boas, who did not lose a league game with Porto last season, added: "I cannot prepare myself for failure. Hopefully, failure will never happen.
"Preparing for failure is putting yourself on the route to fail."
Source: Team Talk
Source: Team Talk