Premier League giants Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea are all set to engage in a three-way battle to sign Ivan Perisic, as per reports.
La Gazzetta dello Sport have reported that Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea are all eyeing Inter Milan forward Ivan Perisic.
Ivan Perisic’s stock has been on the rise in recent years. Having impressed in France and Belgium during the early stages of his career, the Croatian made the move to Borussia Dortmund in 2011, where he continued his development as a winger.
After two somewhat successful seasons with the Bundesliga giants, Perisic chose to switch allegiances and moved to Wolfsburg in 2013, where he had an explosive season, scoring 21 goals along with 17 assists for the club.
His two-season stint with Die Wolfe resulted in many clubs across Europe registering an interest. Perisic eventually moved to Inter Milan and he has been a key figure at San Siro since, first for Roberto Mancini and then Stefano Pioli.
After scoring seven times in Serie A all season for the Nerazzurri in 2015/16, Perisic has improved his scoring rate in this campaign, having already netted seven goals in 15 starts for his side, as he continues to remain an important member for Inter.
Now it seems like the performances of the 27-year-old for Inter have sparked interest from clubs in England, with Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool all eyeing Perisic for a potential move in the summer transfer window.
Chelsea’s interest in Perisic is well known, and the Blues reportedly made a bid to sign him this past summer. However, he chose to stay at the San Siro for another season instead. Meanwhile, Manchester United were linked with Perisic earlier this month, and the Croatian is a summer target for the Red Devils.
Liverpool are now the latest club to enter the race to sign Perisic, and according to the report, the Reds could be set to battle Chelsea and Manchester United for him. However, all things considered, a move for Perisic looks highly unlikely for any of these clubs.
Manchester United are well stocked when it comes to their attacking options, with the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Juan Mata, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford and club captain Wayne Rooney among the options at Jose Mourinho’s disposal.
Chelsea, on the other hand, do not quite have an abundance of options in attack, with Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro the three first team players. However, with Eden Hazard rediscovering his touch this season, and with Pedro and Willian being key figures in the team, Perisic would be a rotation option for Antonio Conte.
At Liverpool, the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Adam Lallana, Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi are all capable of playing in the three attacking positions, and unless someone is offloaded it doesn’t look likely that they would make a move for the Croat.
Perisic is likely to have to suffice with a squad rotation role if he moves to any of the aforementioned clubs. If Chelsea, Manchester United or Liverpool do make a move for him, they might have to shell out upwards of €35 million to acquire his services.
