The priority for Manchester United at the moment is to move on the players who don’t quite fit into manager Jose Mourinho’s plans at the club.
However, the Portuguese manager is also looking to make some key additions to the squad, and Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic has emerged as a transfer target.
According to Italian publication Calciomercato, Mourinho admires the technical flexibility of the Croatian attacker and Manchester United are poised to make a move for him soon. The report adds that Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham and PSG are rumored to be interested in Perisic as well.
Inter Milan are believed to be willing to listen to offers for Perisic. The report states that the player’s agents have been trying to extend his current contract at the San Siro, which runs till 2020, but there hasn’t been a response from the club’s end.
The Croatian is a regular face in the first eleven for Inter, and the club are set to demand a good amount for the 27-year-old. He has notched up six goals and an assist in 18 Serie A appearances for the Nerazzurri so far this season.
Ivan Perisic isn’t a prolific goal scorer, but brings a high level of attacking ability and aerial dominance to the attack. He joined Inter Milan in the summer of 2015 for the relatively small sum of €16 million, and Manchester United would be hoping to get him for a similar price.
The Croatian’s agent has previously stated that the player wants to win trophies, something Inter look incapable of at present. The Nerazzurri are currently seventh on the Serie A table and haven’t played in the Champions League since the 2011-12 season.
However, Perisic will have to settle for a squad rotation role at Old Trafford. United already have a wealth of attacking talent with the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Juan Mata and Anthony Martial all vying for starting positions.
On top of that academy talents like Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford will also probably be given priority over the 27-year-old by the United hierarchy. This means that Perisic will not have the same status in the first team that he currently does at Inter.
A move for the Croatian is unlikely this January, and Mourinho will probably act on his interest only after the likes of Memphis Depay and Adnan Januzaj’s future at the club are decided upon.
