Reports coming out of Italy claims that Ivan Perisic could sign with Manchester United by the end of this week, provided he misses Inter Milan’s pre-season tour.
According to La Domenica Sportiva, a respected media source, both the clubs have come to an agreement over the transfer of the Croatian, with the fee reported to be around 46 million Euros .
This report was further confirmed by The Independent’s chief football writer Miguel Delaney, who broke the news on Twitter late last night. Delany tweeted “Perisic now very close.
Will be good signing. Crosses the ball almost five times more than United’s current wingers – needed with Lukaku!” Reports also claim that Inter had also demanded the French striker Anthony Martial to be included in any deal that involved Ivan Perisic.
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But Manchester United has reportedly refused straightaway, with Mourinho claiming to be a fan of the young forward and wants to watch over his development at the English club.
Perisic has spent the weekend away from Inter’s squad in Croatia, where coach Luciano Spalletti claimed he was visiting his personal dentist.
The catch in this claim is that The Nerazzurri also have dental surgeons on staff which made the Twitterati erupt into speculations and conclusions about the winger’s future at the club.
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Perisic’s anticipated move will bring an end to a two-year spell with the Serie A club. There was also a uproar on a recent squad photo released by a Inter Milan player a few days back, where Perisic was standing ‘away’ from the rest of his teammates and looking ‘unhappy’.
This lead to widespread speculation that the winger has made up his mind to leave Italy to join the English giants.
The Croatian moved to Italy after a good stint with German side Wolfsburg a couple of years ago and has been an instant success at the club. Capable of playing on either flank as well as in the centre attacking role, The 28 year old made 79 appearances for Inter Milan and scored 20 goals and almost the same number of assists as well.
In spite of having players like Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to play on the wide left, Mourinho is apparently a big fan of the Croatian for his ability to score as well as to chip in with assists, which may be crucial from United’s point of view as they need to get the best out of their new marquee striker Romelu Lukaku.
Manchester United have already made two signings this summer. Apart from the Belgian, United has also lured Swedish defender Victor Lindelof from Benfica as Mourinho led United looks to mount a serious title challenge for the first since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club.
Mourinho also recently told that United’s transfer business is half done and that the fans can expect more signings in the coming days. With Perisic reportedly close to a move to Old Trafford, Mourinho is also looking for reinforcements in the midfield, reportedly targeting Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic and Tottenham’s Eric Dier.
